


Observe me, Restore me

by StagFiction



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Anger, Arrest, Biting, Blood and Gore, Blow Jobs, Confession, Domestic, Escape, F/M, Female unplanned pregnancy, First Kiss, First Time Bottoming, First Time Sex, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Forgiveness, Happy Ending, Love, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder Husbands, Power Bottom, Prison, Raising a Child, Rejection, Romantic Fluff, Sedation with needles, Self-Acceptance, Shooting, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Smut, Tension, Violence, Will Graham's Dogs - Freeform, Will Graham/ Female-OC background
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:42:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 47,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27983259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StagFiction/pseuds/StagFiction
Summary: Set after the finale of Hannibal the TV series. Will Graham is in prison for his connections and knowledge of the crimes of Hannibal Lecter. Struggling to stay in the shadows he learns how to handle himself. However, messages and phonecalls from a stranger makes him realise that somebody on the outside is watching over him.After months of refusing to accept their relationship on the inside when Will is give the opportunity can they build a life together?
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 38
Kudos: 89





	1. Caged

**Author's Note:**

> A fic I began some time ago but I hate unfinished work and I know you do too so this will be updated regularly and finished! Thank you to anyone that reads this and enjoys it, it means the world. Writing and reading has definately helped get me through this year.
> 
> I'm waiting on editing the last few chapters guys after a marathon of writing which I thoroughly enjoyed and hope you will too, thank you for your patience!

Will traced the spine of a large burgundy hardback feeling the veins of its wear under his fingertips. The rest of the books were the same, read a dozen times or more, and always placed back in the same position, alphabetically of course. Will sighed, noticing that he was leaving fingerprints as the dust was displaced. It flew in front of his eyes. The curtains were drawn and the bookshelves looked as though the soul had been taken from them. Will swore he wouldn’t return and this was the reason. The once elegant space was dying. The books were the last thing to be removed, to be sold to strangers. 

Wandering across the landing one last time, he noticed a piece of paper jammed between a couple of smaller books on the bottom shelf, he instinctively checked behind him to make sure nobody was watching. He pulled on the paper, hoping it wouldn’t rip. It was a folded, only A5 in size. Will stood back up and opened it. There was a scribbled drawing of a clock. It was wrong in every aspect. Numbers backward and written downwards like it was done in a panic. Will knew immediately it was his, from years ago. But he thought they had been burnt, he had watched it happen. The space was hollow now, destined for some millionaire. Will sighed, his memories of this space could fill a thousand books. 

“Mr. Graham?” Will heard a hesitant knock at the door and pocketed the piece of paper. 

“Up here” The officer looked up to Will at the bookshelves.

“Are you ready?” 

Will took in one last look at the building, admiring its beauty.

“Yes,” Will walked down the stairs, running his hands along the banister. Meeting the officer at the door, he walked past and outside, where he heard him lock the door for the last time.

“Hands behind your back” Will obliged. Handcuffs were clipped and tightened, and Will was escorted to his seat in the van, thankfully he was the only one there, aside from two officers. 

The journey back to the detention center was boring, the windows were barred, distorting his view of the outside world. Will fidgeted in his seat, the position straining his healed scars but he wouldn’t make a fuss. They reached the gates of the prison, Will knew the name of every guard, mostly due to the fact he had nothing else to do. A prison van entering in the early afternoon perked the ears of the inmates on the grounds. They spat and hammered on the gates. Will did everything to avoid making eye contact and stared down at his feet.

“Oh, boy Graham you might be in for it this evening” The guard driving the bus was a smug bastard who Will despised. He was lazy, and a drug dealer. Will eyed him in the mirror, staring him down. The bus pulled into the prisoner entrance and the door was drawn open. WiIl knew the drill by now and shuffled out of his seat as best he could with his wrists bound. A female guard met him with a soft smile, Jefferson he believed her name was, a young blonde. Anyone looking at her would underestimate her but her slim figure was nothing compared to her upper body strength. Will had had the pleasure of viewing it when one of the larger men had got too comfortable. 

“Afternoon, enjoy the trip?” 

Will nodded.

“I’ll take him, boys, haven’t you got somewhere to be?” 

“Don’t worry J he doesn’t bat for your team if you get what I mean” Both of them fell about laughing and Jefferson watched them pull faces at her unamused. She promptly replied with her middle finger. Will liked her. They headed indoors, and Jefferson acknowledged the other officers with a nod. She hurried Will to his cell. Will knew from the first day to keep his head down. For good behaviour he was given a cell to himself. 

“Do you want my advice?” Jefferson muttered unlocking the handcuffs and locking him in. 

Will shook his head.

“Well you’re getting it anyway, you might think silence is the best option but you’ll only make yourself more obvious” She gave Will a pitied look which made him feel sick, he knew he was so much more than this. “You need anything?” She quipped raising an eyebrow. Will shook his head again and Jefferson took that as the cue to leave. Her soft smile was his only comfort. He went to lie on his bed and looked around the cell, paint peeling and no other furniture. Will took the piece of paper, he had shoved in his waistband out and flattened it out

“What’s that you got boy?” Will jumped not realizing he was being watched. An older gentleman was eyeing him from outside his cell. He was pushing a cleaning trolley, looked like a janitor or something. 

“Nothing” Will resumed turning over the paper in his hand.

“Don’t look like nothing to me son” Will sighed knowing he would have to engage with this nosey bastard.

“A drawing”

“Right, you do it?”

“Yeah” 

“Gives us it then” Will sighed getting up.

“No”

“Well, I’m sure the guards would love to know you been stealin,” The sarcasm and southern accent told Will that he wasn't getting away with anything. He got up and walked to the bars restraining himself from grabbing him. The janitor grabbed the paper before he had blinked twice which caused him to try and grab it back. The Janitor laughed.

“Welcome to prison, you want something hidden, you hide it”

He watched as the janitor looked curiously, scrunching his eyes at it.

“What is it?” Surprisingly he handed it back to him. 

“A clock”

“Hmph” 

“Anything else?” Will shoved it under his pillow.

“Find a better hiding place” 

The janitor whistled as he pushed the trolley along the blocks, winking at Will who just stared blankly back.

________________________________________

Later that Evening.

“Knock knock” Will turned in his bed to see Jefferson holding a tray of what appeared to be dinner. Will sat up rubbing his hand over his head.

“You could go down to the cafeteria once in a while”

“Why would I when there is room service” Will smiled, trying to show some appreciation for her gesture.

“Yeah well don’t get used to it” Jefferson slid the tray under the bars, which Will in turn sat down to inspect. 

She watched Will look at the brown sludge and sighed dropping snickers to the floor and kicking it under. Will looked up at her like a begging dog that hadn’t seen food in a week.

“If you get fired, don’t blame me” Will slipped the candy bar under his bed. 

“Well it's worth it to hear you talk” 

“Jefferson! Get to the games room, Michaels is getting over-friendly again” Will sunk back into his cell and watched as Jefferson ran back down the hallway. 

Six months and Will hadn’t once ventured further than the end of the hall if he could avoid it, aside from the shower room. Everyone choose to ignore him or rather rumors had rendered him a creep that should be put in solitary and so he sat and kept to himself. Will slid the tray back under the bars, knowing that somebody would take it if they were hungry enough. 

The trip to Hannibal’s office that morning was a favor that Jack had somehow managed to swing as the building and everything in it was either being sold or confiscated. The whole situation had been a shit show as soon as Will had recovered from the fall. As the judge kept put it, he was no innocent party.  
The sentence he had been given was long but not unbearable. Ten years with the chance of parole, Jack must've still had some faith in him. Well, that’s what Will liked to think, rather his defense was shoddy with only his reputation to keep him afloat. Jack would never forgive him, he knew that but he owed him. 

From what Will could tell the sun was setting early as it was around December time. The days would often merge together leaving him counting the cracks in the wall-47 the last time he checked. 

A large noise like an airhorn sounded, concluding that day. At this point Will sunk further into his cell, to the space behind the end of his bed and the wall, resting his head on the cooling metal. Will could hear the muttering outside his cell of inmates who were too interested in him. They had heard what he had done, or they knew what he had seen and Will honestly didn’t blame their curiosity, if the situation were reversed, he would do the same. 

“Move along men” The guards herding them into their cells yelled. 

There was a shrill bang of something knocking on his cell. Will raised his head but didn’t move, simply listened, it wasn’t an inmate.

“Graham, phone call downstairs”

Will still didn’t move.

“You have two minutes or I’ll tell them to hang up”

“Who is it?” Will spoke quietly.

“Some foreigner, hurry up” 

Will’s heartbeat quickened as he stood, making his way to the officer. As he was escorted down the stairs to the lobby where a line of industrial-looking pay phones was stacked neatly in rows. Will had never had a reason to use them before, everyone knew where he was and nobody cared. Will took the phone off of another officer and put it to his ear, taking in short breaths. 

“Who is this?” 

“Hello Will”


	2. Discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!   
> Warning for violence.

“Hannibal?”

“Yes Will”

Will clutched the phone tighter, he wasn't sure if it was relief or anger. 

“Where are you?” 

“Now that would be telling I’m afraid”

Will shook his head, noticing the guards raising their eyebrows at him.

“Come get me” Will whispered. He grimaced at how much he sounded like a child wanting to go home.

“If only I could WIll” 

Will tried to fight back tears, he didn’t want to sound pathetic.

“You owe me this at least. You always think of something, it’s what you do” 

“Not this time”

“Then why exactly are you phoning?”

“You won’t hear from me again Will, not for a long time at least, I just needed to confirm you are where I think you are”

“Why are you saying that?”

The phone cut off and Will slammed it back down on the receiver, his hands shaking. 

“Graham! Are you quite finished?” An officer took him by the shoulder and ushered him back to his cell. “Any more of that and you’ll be put in solitary”

Will would appreciate it, the lack of sleep was crippling him.

The bars of his cell were closed once again and Will was too tired to work out if that phone call had even happened. Hannibal had left him, like everyone else. The last he had heard of him was at the hospital and now it seems he had skipped states and left him behind.

“Bastard” WIll whispered, sinking against the wall opposite his bed. 

“Graham? Who was it?” Jefferson was loitering outside his cell pretending to be busy as usual.

“A friend”

“Will he come to visit”

“Not bloody likely”

“Not much of a friend then”

Will took in a deep breath and sighed, turning his face away, his eyes welling up. 

The sound of footsteps walking away only added to the hurt in his chest. 

___________________________________________  
That Night...

“Lights out” 

Will didn’t realise the time as he saw that each section of the prison was suddenly shrouded in darkness. He turned to see the prison floor light up with cigarettes and lighters emitting a soft glow. It was the only time in the day that Will could actually think for himself, the harsh industrial lighting would only blind him. He lay down in his bed facing the wall, pressing his fingers to the cold concrete and tracing the grooves, anything to pass the time. About an hour later Will found himself drifting off, ignoring the occasional yells from across the building.

“Psst Graham, you still awake?”

Will groaned realising it was coming from next door, he choose to ignore the hushed voice.

“I know you are you prick and if you know what's good for you you’ll listen” 

Will turned his head in interest.

“I got asked to give you this, look, here” Will heard something roll into his cell.

“Why are you doing this?”

“They said you would give me something in return” 

Will remembered the snickers under the bed and rolled his eyes.

“Hang on” He was revolted at the amount of dirt under the bed. 

“To your right son” The man whispered. 

Will got up and tried his best to pass the bar into the next cell by sliding it across the hall floor. 

“Will that do?” 

No answer but he heard the rip of the foil on the candy bar and it made Will smile. Will rested his head on the concrete wall. Reaching over for the small cicular container which had soap scrawled on it. He cracked it open realised there was something wrapped in paper- a lighter. Will flicked it, it was full of gas, he put the flame to the paper and read the scribbled message.

-When the night gets too dark for you-

Will couldn’t make out the writing as it was half smudged and had been folded a dozen times, he had deliberately avoided talking to anyone here and hadn’t made any ‘deals’ but he appreciated it, to say the least. He packed the lighter and paper back into the tin. He walked back to his bed and traced a section of the crumbling wall until he felt one of the bricks become loose, he edged the brick out of the concrete and stuffed the tin in the space, quickly replacing the brick. 

__________________________________________________  
The next morning...

The industrial lighting shocked Will awake in the morning as the clatter of keys to his cell door meant he had to get up. Will slid out of bed and out of his cell noticing that everyone else had gone to get some sort of breakfast. Will took that as an opportunity to get a shower. The shower block was through a maze of corridors that Will vaguely remembered. The problem was the entire place was a mix of beige or grey. Will looked at his shoes for the majority of the journey.

“Hey, johnny there he is” Will heard someone speak in front of him but he kept walking, a couple of tattooed men eyed him up and down. Will was acutely aware that they had started to follow him. Will knew better than to get himself cornered and switched through corridors until he had found himself a dead end. He looked around the corner and found himself being picked up from behind by the scruff of his neck. 

“Who’s smuggling you gear prick” Will didn’t answer which only made his situation worse.

The guy holding him by the neck thrust his head against the concrete which caused Will to open his mouth in a silent scream.

“Answer him” The second guy spat on his face and proceeded to search him. They emptied his pockets and felt under his shirt until they found something. 

"Fuck where is it?!" They proceeded to drop Will to the floor. He couldn't speak and accepted his fate with his head throbbing and vision failing. He was kicked in the stomach repeatedly and prayed for it to be over. 

One of the men held him by his hair and whispered.

“We see anything like that again boy and it’ll be your head through the wall next time”

The two men walked away laughing, leaving Will collapsed in a heap on the floor. Attempting to sit up, Will felt the back of his head, no blood but his vision was fuzzy. He found he wanted to sleep which he knew was a bad idea in the middle of the floor. Will gripped the wall and immediately regretted trying to stand as a shooting pain emitted from his stomach, there was the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. He walked about three steps forward before blacking out.


	3. Weak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for mentions of weight gain/loss and descriptions of a malnourished body.

Will felt himself being shaken awake by somebody, his head throbbing but his vision had returned to normal. Jefferson was standing over him looking rather concerned.

“Will are you alright? What happened?” 

Will sat up rubbing his hand over his head, trying to remember any useful details.

“Nothing, just an argument”

“Will we can help you” 

Jefferson went to help Will stand but was only pushed aside.

“I think you’ve done enough don’t you?” 

Will got up on his own accord and made his way to his original destination of the shower block. No more favours, he didn’t want them. There was no obvious damage to his face other than the blow to the back of the head. The pain in his stomach was still there but had dulled, leaving him able to stand straight. Will had got himself lost deep within the prison and he wasn’t surprised that someone hadn’t come across him sooner. The shower block came into sight and Will grabbed a towel from the entrance and walked into the steaming room, separated into single cubicles, not taking notice of the other men.  
The water hitting his back made him let out an audible sigh. Everything Will had done up to that point was so he didn’t have to deal with situations like that but he supposed anything and everything is found out eventually. Will watched the water stream off of his shoulders, he inspected his stomach, already starting to bruise with rich purple blotches. Will tentatively finished scrubbing himself clean and reached for the lever to turn the water off, fetching his towel. 

On the walk back to his cell Will saw men running out in the yard through the barred windows. They actually seemed to be enjoying themselves, playing basketball on the crumbling court and the sun was shining. There was obvious tension as onlooking groups watched but it was calm from what Will could tell. Will longed to feel the sun on his back, he closed his eyes feeling the dappled sunlight on his face through the window, for just a second he could imagine another reality. 

______________________________________________________

Will felt himself be pushed from behind as he meandered through the corridors, the culprit simply winked and continued walking. There was a small parcel wrapped in some paper on the ground, clearly for him. Will wanted to leave it; keep walking but he picked it up and walked down the hall to a secluded corner. Pain medication, not especially strong but it would do the job. Will didn’t want it, it only made him dread walking back to his cell. He didn’t know what it meant and he didn’t want to. The nearest trash can Will spotted he threw it in and continued solemnly to his cell, noticing that many were doing the same. 

Will knew he couldn’t live in solitude for the next decade but he wished. 

“Graham?” A rough voice called from the entrance of his cell, Will recognised it from the other night.

Will turned and was surprised to find a small man of medium build looking rather sheepish. His arms were inked in various sketches and lines. WIll found himself staring which made the man visibly uncomfortable. 

“I heard what happened man” Will couldn’t grasp why he was here, it wasn’t anything to do with him.

“What do you care?” 

The man held out his hand, the small packet of pills he had thrown away sat innocently in the palm of his hand. The man gestured for him to take it. Will backed off.

“It doesn’t bite son” The man smiled placing it on his bed. “I got told to make sure you got them back”

“Who told you to have anything to do with me?” Will knew he was being aggressive.

“Look you're new, I get it, just appreciate that someone out there is trying to make your days that more bearable”

Will huffed out a laugh of disbelief. 

The man walked off in the opposite direction.

"Who are you?" 

The man kept walking whistling as he went.  
____________________________________________________________

The morning came and went as usual and as Will rinsed his mouth out in the shower block, he noticed his face. His hair was matting and his stubble was ruling his face and neck. His cheeks were sallow and he noticed as he lifted his shirt, past the bruises, was his rib cage poking through. Will wasn’t surprised, when he did eat it was scraps he found around the place, and even then he hardly bothered. 

“Fuck, you look half-dead man” The man from yesterday wandered into the block whistling while looking Will up and down. 

Will rolled his eyes, grabbed his towel, and made his way out of the block trying to seem uninterested. Every day Will wandered through the corridors, being unnoticed whilst inmates ran riot. The men from the other day hadn’t bothered him or rather Will hadn’t seen them in person. The TV room and games room somehow reminded Will of high school. Different kinds of people sticking together whilst others like him floated. WIll rounded the corner to the stairs where his cell was and noticed something stuck through the bars-again. He slipped into his cell and took the parcel wrapped in duct tape from the floor and unwrapped it. It was one of those foreign protein bars that would help you put on weight. Will inspected it closely, it was the real deal, not something from the venders. Will took the hint and ate it quickly and quietly, walking to a trash can to dispose of the evidence. 

“Someone must really care about you”

Will froze and turned around slowly. Jefferson stood with her hands on her hips shaking her head.

“What else is there Graham?”

Will opened his mouth to speak but was quickly shut off by the small man once again.

“Sorry love, my bad, he looked hungry”

“Smith that is none of your concern, hand the rest over” 

Will watched as he went into his cell next to Will’s and lifted his mattress, there was a small box of the protein bars packaged nicely, brand new. Smith lifted them up and handed them to Jefferson, she swiftly gave them to another officer who had arrived and proceeded to cuff ‘Smith’.

“Don’t worry Graham, I’ll be back before you know it’’ Smith winked as he was dragged away. 

Will never did see him again and he noticed the cells next to him stayed empty.


	4. Light

Later that evening...

Will lay in bed, he could feel his insides cramp in pain which had made him break out into a cold sweat. He tossed and turned in his bed but the pain would not cease. He remembered the pills he had hidden along with the lighter in the wall, as he sat up he stifled a cry into his sweater. He got up and dragged a shaking hand across the wall until he found the correct brick. It eventually loosened and placed it on his bed. As he flicked the lighter on and grabbed the pills he heard footsteps coming down the corridor. He swore under his breath as he tried to stuff the brick back into place. He went back to his bed and faced the wall, placing the lighter and pills under his pillow. He covered his mouth as he lay on what he suspected was one of his cracked ribs. He closed his eyes. 

The footsteps stopped outside his cell, there was shuffling and the rustling of a package which he thought was kicked under his cell door. He continued to stay still as the footsteps continued along the hallway. When all he could hear was the usual hushed chatter of the surrounding cells he got up again slowly. He retrieved the lighter once more and turned it on. By the end of his bed were a plastic bottle of water and a brown paper bag. He grabbed both with one hand and lay the bottle of water on his bed. He struggled to open the bag with one hand but as he tore it open a white roll and an array of crackers and snacks fell onto the bed. Will recognised them from the rare times he had ventured near the cafeteria. His eyes widened. He hadn't eaten anything in days, he felt his stomach groan loudly. He flicked off the lighter and placed it beside the bed next to the food. He opened a couple of packets of crackers and nuts slowly to avoid any excess noise and ate them. 

He felt a heaviness rise in his chest. He had been in survival mode for too long. He took a deep breath as he finished the rest of his food and threw the wrappers in the trash, flattening them beneath some tissues to hide them. He went back to the bed and held onto one of the pillows, he felt hot tears on his cheeks. He grabbed the water and took the two pills he had been given, not caring what they would do to him, and held the pillow close to his chest. Within a few minutes, he could feel his eyes grow heavier and heavier until he hit the mattress beneath him. 

The next morning...

The fluorescent lighting brought Will back around, His neck ached as he realised he had slept at an awkward angle, but he had slept and he was grateful for that. He gathered the mess he had slept in and threw anything worthless away, placing the lighter back in the wall. He noticed his hands were not shaking and his insides didn’t cramp as much. He got changed and looked at the mounted clock beyond his now open cell. It was still early but the usual nausea he felt from undereating had faded. He wandered outside his cell and as most people were still at breakfast, he slipped down the stairs and out into the yard. The sun was blinding but felt good on his pale skin. He went to one of the benches that was rusting at the back of the yard. One of the few men outside was eyeing him which caused him to roll his eyes. The man started to approach him. 

“Graham?” The man’s voice sounded gruff and impatient.

“Yeah?”

The man thrust a piece of paper towards him. Will reluctantly took it. The man left. Will was tired of these, meaningless offerings that would only make his situation worse. He put it in his pocket and sat watching the bare ground beyond the fence, occasionally a bird would land and it would make him smile to see nature. He was reminded of his dogs and the walks they would do which stretched for miles. The last he had heard they were sent to be adopted which hurt him but there was nothing else for it. Every comforting part of his life had been stripped away and he knew that to an extent it was his fault. He got up and headed back inside to his cell and more people began entering the yard. 

“Glad to see you getting some sunlight Graham” Jefferson stepped in front of him, halting Will before he could enter the prison. Will nodded, trying not to seem agitated. 

“Yes, I was just observing” 

“Well try and ignore the boys if they give you any grief”

Will shrugged his shoulders and Jefferson walked along sighing softly like she was fed up of trying with him. Will no longer had the will to care. The corridors to the cells were sparse, thankfully due to the sunlight outside. Will slumped down on his bed and opened the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.

The writing was scribbled-as usual-but Will could make it out.

704

Will squinted at the writing, he didn’t have time to work out puzzles, he turned the paper over and nothing. Then it occurred to him, he walked out of his cell, just as one of the guards was walking past. 

“Can I help you Graham?” Will looked down at the paper, which the guard was eyeing suspiciously.

“Sorry Officer, but could you tell me the date?”

The officer looked even more confused.

“It’s the 27th of March, why? You still have a few years left I’m afraid” He chuckled as he went to walk past Will.

“No reason” Will mumbled. 

He looked at the paper again as he entered his cell and sat on his bed grimacing as the pain from earlier had returned and held it up towards the light. Three numbers that meant absolutely nothing to him. As he went to throw the paper away he noticed a rustling sound under his covers. He placed the paper under his pillow. He pulled them back to find another small packet of pills and a selection of the prison's finest food from the vending machines. He quickly covered the food back up and sat back down as he heard a group of men coming down the corridor. He had nowhere to hide this amount of food and swore under his breath as one of the men from the group held back. The man peered through the entrance to his cell, Will tried to ignore him but he had noticed how anxious he looked.

“Graham? What are you doing?” He spoke quietly.

Will relaxed somewhat as he turned to find the janitor was loitering by the door. Will gestured for him to come in and after checking in both directions did as he was asked. He stuck to the opposite wall to Will who eyed him up and down.

“Who asked you to give me this shit?” 

The man looked confused. 

“Look man, I only did what was asked, I don’t care who it is, only that I get paid”

“Who asked you?” Will repeated himself, cursing as he stood up as the pain in his stomach seared. 

“Are you alright?”

Will walked towards the man who braced himself for impact against the wall. Will smiled, he thought everyone here thought he was weak.

“I don’t know, this goes way beyond man, I just deliver okay? I swear” 

Will hung his head.

“Then who is above you?” He said exasperated. 

The man was edging towards the exit one step at a time but Will put his hand across to the wall and his foot out so that he couldn’t pass.

“Look, just talk to Mickey okay? I get the shit from him, I don’t know any more than you” 

“Who the fuck is Mickey?” Will spat. 

The guy audibly swallowed as he slipped past Will, he left the cell and leaned against the railing above the man hallway of the prison below the cells. Will joined him. The janitor scanned the cells and corridors below to find him. His eyes lit up when he did. 

“Right see that guy just going out to the cafeteria? Really tall, smoking?” 

Will saw him, he was huge, he had a group of men following him like dogs. 

“Just ask him, this is way beyond me” 

Before Will could ask anything else the Janitor had already started walking away along the corridor to catch up with his group. Will saw that Mickey had already entered the cafeteria, he considered following him but he knew that for someone to know when he wasn’t in his cell, it meant somebody was watching him 24/7. It unnerved him to no end but it was a prison, he was being watched regardless. He would see him again or one of his ‘friends’ at least.


	5. Protection

Will returned to his bed, thankful that nobody else had been looking in his cell. He grabbed the pills first and took them, hoping he would not fall asleep as quickly as last night. The food was another issue altogether. They often searched bunks at random, so he wasn’t keen to keep it here. The best he could come up with was to lift his mattress and throw the majority under. He kept a couple of items for now. He sat back down and opened a bag of chips and a candy bar; he knew it was not doing him any favours to eat junk, but it was this or nothing. He was trying to come up with a way to speak to ‘Mickey’ but he became concerned that this went even further than him. He had also noticed that nobody had bothered him since his attack a few days ago. The guards hardly walked past his cell. There was something bigger going on, something bigger than any of the people in here. Will considered his latest note but drew another blank, he realised how slow he had become since being in here. It bothered him intensely. He finished his snacks and tossed the wrappers in the trashcan not bothering to hide the evidence anymore as from what he could tell nobody cared what he did or when he did it. He decided to test the theory that somebody had been told to watch him. 

When it neared dinner time and the majority of people had left for the cafeteria, he decided to join them. Aside from a few glances as he made his way down the stairs and along the hall nobody approached him. He reached the navy double doors to the main mess hall and found himself frozen, he had never seen so many people in one room before, the noise was deafening. He loitered at the doors as a few people entered and exited too engrossed in their own conversations to notice him. Scanning the room, he found the Janitor eating with a large group including Mickey who dominated the table.   
A few men had noticed him loitering at the door. Will thought better of trying to initiate a conversation in such a crowded space and turned around and started heading back to his cell. Just as he reached the stairs, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and was met with the torso of the man Will recognised as the famous Mickey. 

“Graham?” 

Will nodded, taking a breath when Mickey released his shoulder. 

“Come with me” 

Mickey started walking back towards the cafeteria, Will hesitated but shuffled silently behind him. When they entered the cafeteria, the chatter died down and eyes peered as Will was led to Mickey’s table. Space was made for them immediately and one of the men hurried off, returning as Will took his seat and placed a tray of food in front of him. The chatter of the room resumed as Mickey continued eating his food. Will felt frozen to his seat.

“You don’t eat something soon they’ll take you to psych, it's far worse down there” Mickey grunted between chewing his food.

“Who told you to help me?” He tried to sound confident. 

The men around the table winced as he asked the question.

“You don’t want it?”

“I just don’t know what any of this means” Will sighed frustrated. 

Mickey laughed; it was a hearty laugh that filled the room.

“Look just know that this goes way beyond any of us sitting here, you’re taken care of, now eat”

Mickey pushed the tray to Will who picked up a stale piece of bread and chewed it slowly. It took any moisture from his mouth immediately. A cup of water was given to him before he could blink. He shrunk in his chair.

“I see the food got to your cell okay” Mickey smiled.

Will just nodded as he finished the bread and took a sip of water. Something other than chips or candy was nice as he picked up a plastic fork and pushed around the white rice and sauce that filled the rest of the tray. He took a small forkful. It was rather bitter but he was hungry. 

“I told Smith not to be so careless and look where that got him” Mickey shook his head.

“That was partly my fault” 

Mickey laughed shaking his head. “Nothings your fault Graham, not here”  
Will frowned.

“Don’t look so humble, I know why you’re here, sounds like a lotta bullshit to me, you got caught up in some fucked up shit it happens”   
Will shook his head.

“You don’t know anything about me” He mumbled. 

Mickey paused as he was about to spoon another forkful of food into his mouth.

“Is that so?”

Will nodded. He felt Mickey bristle at the thought of being challenged. 

“Look as easy as it was to arrange this kind of assistance, I can easily make it disappear. You are another contract to me, no more, no less, you want to know what they do to people like you in psych? keep talking”

“A contract would suggest that you are bound to continue” 

Will sat up straighter and finished his meal. Mickey shook his head grimacing.

“God, he said you were fucking stubborn”

Will’s heart stopped.

“What? Who said?” 

“Well, Graham you look like you're finished here, back to bed you go” Mickey gestured towards the door. 

“WHO SAID?!” Will snarled. 

He stood up too quickly causing his vision to go fuzzy. He tried to grab Mickey by his shirt but missed. One of the guards hurried over. 

“Graham!”

Will felt himself be pulled off the table and escorted out of the room. He tried to shrug the guard off but they would not let go until they had reached his cell. He was thrown in. Will turned to see Jefferson locking the cell door. She was shaking her head as she did so and left without acknowledging him further.


	6. Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for Violence including Shooting

The next morning… 

Will awoke to find his cell locked but there was a tray of food that had been passed to him. He got up wearily and rubbed his eyes. He slid out of bed and grabbed the tray. It was a sandwich and nothing else. As he took the top layer of bread off his eyes widened. Whatever meat it was supposed to be had large black spots of mold dotting the meat. He understood what Mickey meant. He had been instructed to make sure he was fed but he made the ultimate choice as to what that was. Will rolled his eyes and went to pull up his mattress for that was where he had hidden the rest of his snacks from previous days. He found nothing. He slammed the mattress down and sat back on the bed. 

The day that followed were the same, until one afternoon he awoke to find his cell door wide open. The air felt tense. Will got up slowly and peered out of his door. There was not the usual commotion as men made their way to breakfast. Will checked around for the usual men he could recognise but found nobody. It was too quiet. Will felt it akin to the calm before a storm, the birds were leaving their nests. He heard a rustle at his feet and noticed a bottle of water and a bag of crackers had been left at the door. He looked around but nobody was acting suspiciously. He took them both to his bed and ate and drank quietly. After about an hour, he decided to investigate for himself. Just as he had made his way down the stairs, he saw one guard walking past.

“Excuse me?” 

The Guard turned around, he looked surprised to see him which Will ignored initially.

“What’s today’s date?”

“7th of April, why?”

Will nodded his head. “No reason, thanks”

A shiver ran up his spine as he thought of his last note. 

The guard shook his head in confusion as he continued down the corridor. He had not realised how long he had been confined to his cell, but he was starting to think that that was deliberate given the unusually quiet atmosphere. He went out towards the yard but found everybody outside was sitting casually and talking in hushed tones. Nobody gave him a second thought. It was as if a veil had been draped over the prison silencing everybody in it. He walked across the yard to a free bench and took a seat. Will watched the entrance to the prison, there was only a skeleton staff on by the looks of it. Today was nothing special from what he could tell.   
He could feel the tension being pulled tighter and tighter…until it snapped. Men started running towards the prison. Many of them pulling out makeshift weapons made from anything they could get their hands on. Will felt stranded as he quickly became the only one outside. 

Suddenly he heard loud bangs from inside of the prison; gunshots. Will's senses went into overdrive, he needed to run but his legs would not obey him. There was no way out in the yard. His stomach dropped as he realised he would have to go through the prison. His heart rate quickened causing his hands to sweat. He felt nauseous. He had been in a thousand dangerous situations, but lack of sleep and food rendered him terrified.

He took a deep breath and made his way towards the main building where his cell was. He looked in the door. It was a riot. Guards were being beaten and stomped into the floor. Cellmates were being controlled with tasers and batons. He heard a crash as a team of armed guards came through the main entrance in a wave. Will swore as he saw the carnage unravel. He entered when he saw a gap in the chaos. Bodies were strewn across the halls, some inmates hid in their cells, others cried in pain. Will slipped into the main hall of chaos and decided that going past his own cell away from the biggest crowd was the only solution. He found the stairs and ascended them as quickly as possible, ducking from various projectiles. He looked over the railing and his heart sunk when he saw Jefferson bleeding trying to help one of her colleagues. He found his cell empty and hid between the wall and the end of his bed. He knew he only had a few moments before the prison would be lockdown completely and any chance of escape would slip before him. He tried to calm his heart which was hammering in his chest causing his hands to shake.   
He saw the guard he had just spoken to run past his cell after others running along the corridors as the lockdown siren went off. It was deafening. He stood up and walked forwards grasping the door to his cell to ground himself. He took a deep breath and went over to look over the railing at the other inmates below.   
The few inmates in their cells stood and he noticed the look in the faces, half panic, half grateful. One of them looked at him. Will looked closely, it was Mickey he was pointing to one of the officer’s entrances. It was still open. The screams from the inside were a mix of guards yelling for backup and cries of pain. Will knew this was his only chance. The inmates had the same idea and one by one they slipped out of the building. 

Will stepped forward and went along the corridor to the closest stairs above the officer entrance. He descended them two at a time just as he heard shells be unleashed on the prisoners. Will’s legs were shaking as he made his way towards the exit. He stayed close to the wall until he felt fresh air on his face. Somebody had warned him. Will tried to remember that as he made his way out. In the haze of confusion, he thought he heard the dull shrill of sirens in the distance. The officer exit was still pried open and Will slipped out into the sunlight. The warmth hitting his face gave the impression that nothing was wrong. The bird's shrill in the trees was soon replaced by the overwhelming scream of sirens. Will had exited at the front entrance of the prison, which led onto the main road. As police filed through the back gates, he ran in the opposite direction. The prison was surrounded by thick woods, he saw other prisoners heading towards them and he did the same. He could not run fast, he was exhausted. As he hit the tree line, he turned the see the prison engulfed in police vans and smoke. He kept moving forwards. The forest smelt exquisite; he could imagine he was back home. The pine and mud mixed with rain were intoxicating. He paused and looked around, he could see nothing, but the forest dappled in sunlight. He could feel his eyes well up and he processed what he had just seen. He had no sense of time or direction and sat under a huge pine tree. He breathed in and out slowly. He had to keep moving. 

An hour later he came to an intersection at the main road. There was an underpass a few meters ahead of him, which he headed for. The prison was in Baltimore; therefore, he was an hour away from home. But home would be exactly where they would expect him. Will struggled to catch his breath and ran his hand through his hair shaking. He looked down at himself he was covered in mud and sweat; his prison sweats were an obvious giveaway. He tried to walk casually as he walked across to the underpass, ignoring the car horns that blared at him. He reached the underpass, the dulled traffic noise was a blessing.   
“What the fuck am I doing?” Will wheezed. What he had just seen did not faze him as much as he thought it did. Violence was the one thing he understood but who had started it was another matter. 

He had no money or ID, the clothes he was standing up in were the only thing he had to his name. Will leaned against the wall and slumped against it. Just then he heard the clink of coins against his feet, he looked up as a man tipped his hat to him. He looked at the battered cents on the floor and scooped them up, he could get a bus, you didn’t need ID for that. Will decided it was best to hide the rest of the day and so he sat under the underpass watching as the odd person walked by and looked at him with either disgust or sympathy. The sirens could still be heard in the distance and he imagined most of the country had heard what had happened. Will just prayed that they would not realise that a ‘few’ had gone missing, he prayed they would put him in the death toll, and then he could disappear.   
As the sun started to disappear, Will silently thanked himself for wearing a long sleeve top. So far, he had gained at least six dollars in shrapnel which he shoved into his sweat pocket. Will slipped out from the underpass and hoped he wouldn’t stand out. Baltimore was huge and Will tried to remember his way to the bus station. It was weird for him to be out again. Looking at regular human beings, living and breathing. 

Will was so dazed by the sounds and lights that now he was utterly lost. The streets no longer looked even vaguely familiar. He tried to find a map of some sort but just ended up on a back street with a tattoo parlour. Will looked down at himself, he was covered in black marks of dirt, and his once light grey shoes were filthy. He decided that even if he wanted a bus, they wouldn't take him. The night became surprisingly bitter and Will decided it was better to freeze than stop and lay down in a gutter. A further few streets down there was an opening that led to a path into a park. Will walked through the park, imagining the sight of him looking like a lost dog. There was a park bench in the trees that Will took advantage of and sat down. The only people out were dog walkers or drunks. Will felt his muscles ache with tension as he shivered on the bench. 

“Son, if you’ve got a home, I highly suggest you go to it” Will looked up. An old man, wheeling a trolley was making his way towards him. “May I?” The man gestured to the other end of the bench and Will was too dazed to answer and merely nodded. 

“So do you?” The man asked gently, Will was surprised.

“N..no” 

“You look like you’ve had one of those days” The man opened one of the bags in his trolley and thrust a deep green hoodie at Will, he took it reluctantly.

“What do you care?”

“Because you have a chance, I don’t, go home son”

“I can’t”

The old man sighed.

“How much do you need?”

“I don’t want your money” Will stood and started to walk away, leaving the hoodie on the bench. 

“The bus stop is just on the right; you can’t miss it”

Will heard the man grunt and grumble as he stood. The slight squeak of the trolley of the wheels on the gravel faded as he slowly walked away.   
Will turned just as the man had left his view and, on the bench, lay the hoodie, folded. Will sighed and picked it up, it felt soft and he knew it would be warm. He slipped it on and let the warmth envelop him, it was divine. He put his hands in the pockets, he could feel something like paper. Will held it up to a streetlight and found it to be a battered ten-dollar note. Will went back to the bench and began to sob. Yes, it had been one of those days.


	7. Roots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the amazing comments, Kudos, and suggestions It means so much that you are enjoying it!

Will followed the old man's instructions, just about, and found the bus stop. It was about midnight at this point. Will hadn’t slept or eaten, and he could feel his body failing him. He dragged himself to the ticket office to a stern-looking lady. Will winced as he could hear her smacking her lips together as she chewed a piece of gum. Her bleached blonde hair was pulled so far back into a bun it looked as if it were giving her a facelift. 

The woman looked him up and down as if he was something she had trodden in on the way to work. 

“Can I help you?” 

Will nodded. He knew he would regret this but he could think of nothing else.

“How much is a ticket to Wolftrap?” He fiddled with the money in his pocket.

“Well, the last one is leaving in ten minutes and I suspect you’ll be the only one on it” She snorted which repulsed him. The woman typed something into the computer.

“Nine fifty” The women held out her hand and Will slowly gave her the money, she snatched it away and smacked the fifty sense and the ticket onto the table. He caught a glimpse of himself in the Perspex of the counter, he hardly recognised himself. His stubble was thick, his eyelids were swollen from crying and his hair was matted. 

“Thank you” Will mumbled pocketing the money and walking to the bus stand holding the ticket in a shaking hand. In the distance he thought he could see someone looking at him from the other end of the street, somebody familiar, but as soon as he noticed, they were gone. He looked again and nothing. A bus pulled in and the door squeaked open, he was met with a kind smile from the bus driver which he appreciated, and handed him the ticket. Will couldn’t be more thankful for the hoodie; it was just as bitter on the bus as it was outside. He sat at the back, he didn’t like to be watched from behind. As he left Baltimore, the lights fading in the distance he tried to comprehend what had happened. This morning he was in his cell, now he was on a bus back home.   
_____________________________________________________

“Sir, it’s your stop...sir?” 

Will awoke to somebody shaking him gently. 

Will jolted himself so violently backward that he hit his head on the back of the bus. 

“Are you alright Sir?” Will nodded rubbing his head awkwardly.

“The main street is on the left, past that is the road to the back houses” The driver gestured as they exited the bus. 

“Will you be alright?” The man looked wary of Will.

Will was too focused on finding his home to answer. The main town had not changed, the few odd hardware shops and cafes were all shut as it was going on half one in the morning. He found the old farm track off the main road that he remembered would lead him home. The only thing Will did not account for was the dark, he hated it, it made him too vulnerable. He took it slowly, but it felt like hours to him. He swore as his feet got stuck in the mud and he could feel every rock under his thin shoes. 

Will thought he could make out the silhouette of a building through the trees. The lights were not on and there was no car parked outside. He missed the bark that used to greet him from the front porch as he made his way over. Will investigated the windows, they were covered in dirt and webs, he concluded that the house had been empty for at least a few years. He grasped the doorknob and tried it, it was locked which he was not surprised at. He tried to push it open but he hadn’t the strength anymore. The mist had started to curl onto the fields in front of the house. The odd bird would shuffle in the trees, disturbing the others. Will shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He was home, the only home that he had loved. He breathed in the earth and the damp mist and it felt so refreshing. He ran his hands against the grain of the aged wood on the porch. He could feel textures and temperatures and it was wonderful even if for a moment. He slumped against the side of the house and felt his eyes draw heavy.   
__________________________________________________  
Will watched as the sun burned away the rest of the mist in the morning and he could see his surroundings. The fields were overgrown, his house merely a shell of its former beauty but it was his, utterly his. Will looked down at himself covered in mud but he didn’t care. 

Suddenly, he could see dust tracks in the distance followed by the soft lull of an engine, and he recognised immediately who’s car it was. He watched as it came up the track, its headlights glinting in the sun until it pulled in front of the house. 

A dark figure wearing a charcoal hat stepped out, his trench coat dusting the ground.

“Will Graham..” 

“Jack?” 

Will realised what he must look like as he squinted at him in the sunlight. 

“To be honest Will I’m surprised you got this far”

Will knew where this was going and held out his wrists. Jack merely shook his head.

“Let’s just say I’m off duty, may I?” 

Will lowered his wrists suspiciously and watched as Jack came to sit next to him. 

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Jack nodded towards to rising sun through the trees casting honey shadows onto the ground. Will nodded. 

“You don’t half look a state young man” Jack tugged at his hoodie which caused Will to shuffle away from him. 

“How long did it take you to notice?” 

Jack laughed gently.

“Someone had seen you run from the front entrance of the prison, so far I’m the only one who knows that you aren't in a pool of your own blood” 

“You almost sound glad” 

“We were friends once upon a time”

“Well…” 

They both quirked a smile at that. They spent some time watching the world wake up before Will asked something that was bugging him.

“How did you know where I would be?” 

Jack looked over to meet his eyes.

“Where else would you be? The one constant place you had before...him”

Will nodded considering and of course Jack would be right.

“Has anyone lived here since?” 

Jack shook his head and cleared his throat.

“After you were arrested we put it on the market but it wouldn’t sell... for obvious reasons. I occasionally check to make sure it's not being vandalised” Will quirked his head at that. 

“Why? The things we did, burning this place I thought would have been on your list”

“What would be the point Will? It won’t change anything and if I’m honest I’m tired, It’s still the same as you left it the last time you moved out”

“Do you have a key?” 

Jack nodded and handed it over. They both stood but Jack looked concerned. 

“Will it won't do you any good, there’s nothing in there” Will sighed in agreement but couldn’t help himself. He placed the key in the lock and relished in the sound of the mechanism cracking and turning. He pushed open the door and was met with clouds of dust. Jack watched him and Will went inside. The majority of things were still in order, even after he had left it before seeing Hannibal again. The floorboards creaked in all the right places and the cupboards still squeaked when you opened them. He heard Jack come in, he took his hat off and surveyed the sitting room.

“I still blame myself”

Will walked back towards him and stopped just short of where he stood.

“You’re taking responsibility for my actions?”

“I never listened, I pushed you too far, it cost far more than just your life Will”

Will shook his head.

“Why are you saying this now? Han…he knew what he was doing from the start and you won't like this but so did I, at the end, I couldn’t help myself, it was too late” 

Will had caught himself before he would utter that man’s name again. He took a deep breath.

“Jack I may be unwell physically but mentally I can’t use that excuse, he only brought to the surface a part of me I knew I had within me" 

“You don’t regret anything? You seriously can’t see what he turned you into” 

Jack was becoming agitated, frustrated at his matter of fact attitude.

“I never felt sympathy for those victims at the beginning. I am a pure empath Jack, which means I understand why not to do something as well as why someone would do something, I didn’t choose which side of that boundary I fell on, I was already there. He just made me understand why I was like that, nobody had ever done that for me. I don’t want to hurt anybody else, but I know exactly why others and I suppose myself have done those things" 

Jack shook his head. “You always have a choice not to act on those urges Will. I thought by letting you see his office one last time, it would provide closure and you could see the terrible things you had done and work on yourself. You still want to have him in your life, that much is obvious”

Will was taken aback, his feelings to his knowledge were not as obvious as this. Hee still felt hatred towards Hannibal but having someone understand him so purely was attractive to himself. 

“I didn’t want to survive that fall Jack because I knew what was coming for both of us. He did too, I could feel it. Whatever I feel towards Hannibal has been the furthest from my mind this past year”

“Well lucky for us, he’s vanished, and we are looking to you for the answers yet again”   
Will looked confused.

“Yes Will before your little vacation here, we thought that you would want him captured but this has shown that you not only want to continue your deluded fantasy with a murderer but that you have no regrets what so ever” 

Will shook his head.

“You want my help? Again?” 

He laughed in disbelief.“So, when exactly will you arrest me?” Will held out his wrists in front of Jack who rolled his eyes. 

“If you don’t help us, I will personally ensure you are treated like any other prisoner, and any favours you think you are entitled to will cease, I will add incenting a riot and attempted escape to your record ensuring you are put in solitary for the rest of your life.” 

“Jack, come on” Will started to bite his nails. “He'll see you coming a mile off, the reason I'm out is because of him I can feel it" 

“Hannibal's curiosity has always been his weakness and I know that said curiosity is integral to his relationship with you. He will come and find you again Will and we will be waiting for him"

“We tried this last time”

“And you lied to us”

Will shuffled uncomfortably.

“You won’t last five minutes alone and if the FBI put you on the same wanted list as him then I have no option but to arrest you again with no parole”

“Why are you helping me still? Jesus, he nearly killed you once” 

“This is not about you, don’t flatter yourself, you are just another piece of this case”

“Well, I sense a guilty conscious Jack, and then if by some miracle he does show up? what then?”

"Then you will be put on witness protection and free to vanish"

Will stood dumbfounded. "As easy as that? You expect me to believe that"

"Believe what you wish Will but you look like you're about to drop dead any minute" 

Will knew how to rile Jack up on the best of days. He considered. Every time he looked for Hannibal personally, he came out to play. He knew Hannibal had been involved with his short stay in prison, but he did not understand the full extent yet. He had no idea where to begin but he did want to see him. As difficult as that was to admit but Jack was right, what other options did he have. 

“Fine I’ll help you”


	8. Bound

Will lowered himself slowly into the steaming water of his bath. Waves of piping hot water rolled over his skin and he let out an audible sigh as he stretched out his legs properly. Scents of lavender and cedarwood filled the room. He closed his eyes for a moment and he could feel his bruised bones and aching muscles relax for the first time in months. The sound of the tap running was like a bubbling stream.

He opened his eyes a while later and took in the room around him. He had been required to stay at an apartment by the FBI in Baltimore He shook his head; this was not Jack’s doing. Whoever wanted his ‘help’ went even higher than him. He could not help but feel like a pawn in a twisted game. The apartment was nice, no more no less, he was being watched constantly, occasionally a car would show up for a few hours outside and leave again, he had not left since he got there. Ironically, it was like a prison with silk sheets. A metaphor for his life he supposed. To what degree he would offer his unique talents he was not sure, but he had never been wrong and whoever wanted him knew that. They also knew that he would rather be under lock and key here than in that rat cage. That was the point. He knew that and so did they so round and round they went. 

Will sat up straighter and looked at his hands. He tried to scrub the dirt from under his nails and washed his face. He got up as the water was turning lukewarm and grabbed a towel from the radiator which was on. He had missed the smell of fresh linens. He released the plug from the bath and went to the large bathroom sink and mirror. He took in his appearance. He had been given a bag of basic toiletries and food to be going on with. He searched in the bag he had left beside the sink for a razor and shaving foam. When he was finished he noticed how much younger he looked with the messy stubble gone. He laid down the razor and ran a hand through his hair it was knotted and dead at the ends. He put on the shower and pulled it over to the sink, he grabbed the cheap shampoo and rubbed it aggressively into his hair, combing it through his fingers. When he rinsed it out, he grimaced at the colour of the water flowing down the drain. He grabbed a second towel and dried his hair thoroughly, he felt lighter and so much more like himself. 

His hair had regained its natural curls which were now knot-free and his skin did not feel as dry as before. He left the bathroom and made his way to his suitcase in his bedroom picking out a plain t-shirt and jeans. He looked at himself in the tall mirror that was in the bedroom. Plain. Ordinary. Boring. He wanted to be this man before any of it had happened. But he couldn’t. The man staring back knew what he was capable of. 

He heard a knock at the door and took a deep breath. He went to answer it and found Jack looking him up and down. He had completely lost track of time and had forgotten Jack had planned on politely questioning him. 

“You look better”

“Good morning to you too”

“mmhpf” Jack groaned and pushed past him into the apartment. 

“Have you been out yet?” 

Jack took a seat at the small table in the kitchen. 

“You already know the answer to that”

Will winced as Jack dragged his chair across the floor.

“You’re still sensitive”

Will rolled his eyes.

“It's more complicated than that”

Jack nodded but Will could tell he wasn’t interested. He hadn’t changed that much. He took out a file from the briefcase he was holding.

“Do you want coffee?” 

Jack merely nodded.

“I need to know you are able to do this Will, I want to believe you want him in prison once and for all, but I can’t, not until you give me what I need. I have my superiors who believe you are some mentally unstable sympathy vote but the stuff you did, you were perfectly sound and as such, you so much as speak to him without my permission, I will know about it.” 

Jack looked up to meet Will’s eyes who nodded slowly. 

“This is all we have since the fall” 

Will grabbed two mugs and poured thick black coffee into them and took a seat opposite Jack and passed him a mug. He took it and nodded before passing Will a thick file. Will paused as he saw Hannibal’s face plastered across the file amongst hundreds of notes, they were from before Will knew him all the way until what Will took to understand as somebody spotting him in New York, but the photo was too blurry to be clear. Will looked at his face, he felt his stomach drop. 

“All you have?”

Jack nodded. 

“That’s the latest intelligence, one blurry photograph and an agent who hasn’t been since they sent it to us”  
Will raised an eyebrow. Hannibal was not that careless, it was deliberate.

“He’s already playing cat and mouse with you, what do you think I can offer you?”

“Whilst your, how could I put this politely, ‘affections’ towards Hannibal Lecter have not been unnoticed by myself or my superiors, we are going to assume that they work both ways."

Will tried not to scoff. He pushed the file back towards Jack. 

“My affections? You mean I’m bait?”

“Well, you said it. This is your last chance to have anything that resembles a normal life Will”

Will shook his head. “Fuck me”

“You want any sort of redemption Will, find him”

“With what? Special forces, the Army, and the fucking Marines couldn’t find him, what do you want me to do? Stand outside with a fucking white flag?”

“Will, he let the agent take his picture, this was only three days ago, he is still in New York”

“Great you’ve sold it congratulations”

Jack was not finding this amusing. Will took a breath.

“What exactly is your point Jack? In three days, he could have traveled to the other side of the world”

“But he won’t” 

“And you know that because?” 

“The prison riot went international Will, he would have seen it”

Will was in disbelief.

“That was his idea in the first place! Jesus Jack, please don’t tell me you are that thick”

“If you let me finish”

Will huffed and slumped in his seat.

“If it was his idea, that means he wants to see you and will be waiting for you and he has told you where he wants you” 

“If he knew that the agent was after him, it means he is waiting for all of you, you won’t survive him Jack, not this time” 

Jack nodded and then Will realised something, his eyes widened. 

“My god you know he’s going to kill you, don’t you? Do you want this? Dying is worth getting him life?”

For the first time, Jack looked away and his usual stiff posture weakened, causing him to slump in his chair.

“When Bella died, a part of me went with her, that I am never getting back. This is all I have. From the morning until the evening, his face is the one I see, the countless lives he has ruined, putting him away in the darkest hell hole is what keeps me going. After everything he did to my friends, you still stand by his side. If you were not my only chance, I would have ensured you would have never have been released”

Will looked away and rubbed his forehead with his hand. 

“They were my friends too Jack”

They met each other’s eyes. Jack’s stare darkened. “Were they Will?” 

Will looked at him in disbelief.

“Putting yourself in this position, blaming yourself and getting yourself killed is what he wants and you know it won’t be enough to stop him, anything I agree to, I will be alone. Catching him won’t bring them back Jack and Bella wouldn’t want this for you”

“Don’t say her name, you think you understand me?”

Will nodded which caused Jack to get up from his chair and gather his things.

“So that’s it?”

Will stood too but was pushed out the way by Jack as he headed to the door. 

“You will be ready for a flight tomorrow departing for New York at 7 am, and for god’s sake eat something” 

Jack left and slammed the door behind him.


	9. Whole

The fluorescent lighting of the airport made Will unable to focus completely. He rubbed his face and blinked as he was escorted by Jack and his team of agents through the airport, the electronic tag that had been clamped on his ankle itched furiously. He was taken to a private lounge away from the dozens of prying eyes staring at them. He was urged to sit down on one of the leather chairs at one side of the room whilst Jack continued to confer with his colleagues. Will did not recognise any of them and felt like they were watching him constantly. It was unnerving. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably, pulling at a thread that had come loose from his second-hand grey cotton shirt. Nothing felt right, his clothes smelt unfamiliar and for someone who had a supposed expertise in reading people, he felt remarkably out of the loop. 

He looked out of the large panel windows that gave a complete view of the runway. He saw a thousand tiny ant-sized humans fleeing to and fro. He longed to feel the sun on his back again. He closed his eyes for a few minutes until he was brought back to life by the smell of fresh coffee. He opened his eyes and found Jack offering him a mug. He sat up straighter and took it gratefully. The warmth from the mug seeped into his palms.   
Jack took a seat beside him with a mug of his own and took a large gulp. 

“Have you had breakfast?” 

Will shook his head which caused Jack to sigh.

“Johnson!?” Jack yelled causing Will to flinch. 

Will saw one of the group lift their head.

“Sir?” 

“Go and get me one of those overpriced croissants and a bagel, would you?” 

Johnson nodded and headed out of the lounge. 

“You don’t have to do that”

“Will you are about a day out from needing to be hospitalised, and what good are you to me dead?” Jack huffed as he took another sip of coffee.   
Will did the same. 

Johnson returned with two brown paper bags and gave them to Jack who promptly dumped them in Will’s lap. They were still warm. Will placed his mug down and took one of the bags gingerly and opened it. Steam rose from the bag and the smell of freshly baked bread made Will’s stomach audibly groan. He placed the other bag beside his coffee mug and took the bagel out. It had been spread with butter, he took it out and lay the bag on his lap. He took a small bite, the mix of salty butter and the chewy dough resulted in him finishing the whole bagel in seconds.

“Jesus man slow down! you’ll be seeing that bagel again if you eat that quickly” Jack said gruffly shaking his head.

Will tried not to smile as he finished the bagel and scrunched the bag up throwing it in a trash can across the room. It reminded him of the bread Hannibal would effortlessly make day after day. They would enjoy it with the sun streaming through the windows of his office. He caught himself shook his head as if to shake the memory physically from his head. Will took the other bag and opened it. The intense smell of rich chocolate radiated from the bag, he took the croissant out of the bag and took a bite. Flakes of golden pastry floated down onto the brown paper bag on his lap. The chocolate melted in his mouth which was divine. He placed it down on the bag to finish his coffee. The two together were divine. He finished his coffee and savoured the final bites of the pastry. He could feel Jack eyeing him from the side. 

“Did you enjoy that?” 

Will nodded. “Thanks” 

“Good, it’s a long flight I don’t need you fainting on me either, now before we get on this plane I need you focused. When we land in New York, you will be wired and sent to an apartment, we will be based in Brooklyn as that was the last known location of the agent.”

Will paused.

“Wired?” 

“Yes, the team believes that in order for this to work you will have to be alone, it's not my preference” 

“You mean I was right” 

Jack gave a hard stare which Will took as a warning to not push him any further. 

“As I was saying, you will be watched 24/7, and should your wire or tag be disconnected, we will be alerted immediately, do you understand?” 

Will rolled his eyes.

“And in this apartment, what do you want me to do?” 

“Wait for instruction” 

“That’s it? I can’t leave?” 

“You will be given designated areas that you will be allowed to visit but until we have the intelligence that is all I can tell you” 

There was a tannoy announcement that their flight was ready to board and Will’s anxiety returned as Jack’s team one by one left through the door and out into the terminal. Jack stood, Will found his legs begin to shake. He took one last look out of the window at Virginia before Jack took his shoulder and ushered him out into the terminal. 

...

The rumble of the wheels hitting the tarmac caused Will to jolt awake. He opened his eyes, not realising he had slept through the entire flight. The plane was small, only enough for Jack and his team. They had already unbuckled their seatbelts and were fighting to get their bags from the overhead lockers. Will watched the chaos unfold as the plane finally came to a stop and most of the people disembarked. He saw Jack in the corner of his eye.

“Are you ready Will?” 

Will shook his head. It was the first time he was honest about what he was feeling. The reality of where he was had finally hit him.  
Jack took the seat that was next to him.

“You will never be left on your own with him Will. As soon as you come into contact with him, that’s all we need”

Will nodded whilst biting his lip. He looked out the window, it was still early morning from what he could tell but he felt like he had been awake for longer. He did not know what he was feeling but he was not entirely certain the anxiety was because of the possibility of Hannibal seeing him again but rather excitement.

“C’mon Will, time to go”

They both stood and collected their things before heading outside into the fresh air. Will took a deep breath; he could smell rain in the air and that made him smile.  
Four large SUVs were on standby as the rest of the team were escorted and divided into them. Jack greeted them before he was taken to the car at the front. Will looked up before being ushered into the same car. He noticed they were at LaGuardia Airport. He remembered being there as a child, amazed at all the noise and lights, they unnerved him now. Will watched as the airport faded away and the cars followed each other deeper into the city. Will thought they were trying to be subtle anybody would notice the carnival that was four FBI vehicles trailing each other. He rolled his eyes as heads turned on every street they went down. 

As they slowed, he noticed that the other vehicles were taking other exits, and soon it was just his and Jack’s car as they turned down a quiet residential street. They pulled outside a large townhouse. The driver of the car got out and went to speak to Jack. Jack opened his side door and took his bags from the back of the car. 

“This is you, Will, you have the top floor to yourself, it’s a modest place” 

Jack went to the front door and unlocked it. The old mechanism shunted into place and the door creaked open. Will looked behind him and down the street, bricked townhouses lined the street, some more kept than others. 

“Will?”

Will turned to see Jack gesturing for him to come inside. Will followed him indoors.

“No lift I’m afraid, these would have been on house back in the day” 

Will stayed silent. It smelt of damp in the hallway and there was dust lining the banisters of the stairway. As they reached the top, Jack handed Will a set of heavy keys. 

“These are your copy, you’ll be using them so its best you go ahead”

Will stepped forward and put the largest key into the lock. As he pushed open the door he stepped inside. Jack was right, the apartment was large with huge windows from floor to ceiling which gave a view over the city. Will walked to the center of the room and stared in silence. The sunlight was magnificent. 

“I’ll be back very soon; your tag is active and waterproof for when you take a shower, there's food in the kitchen and it’ll be stocked up regularly”  
He dumped the bags by his feet. 

“Will?”

“Mhmm?”

“Remember that I will be in the apartment a block down”

Will nodded and Jack sighed as he shut the door behind him. The silence that fell around him was deafening. He was finally alone. The city through the window was awake and bright, he felt the opposite. He gathered his bags and walked through the hallway that led off from the living room. There was a large bathroom on the left, a closet on the right, and another door in front of him. The paint was needing to be redone as the decades of colours were starting to show through. However, the twenty-first-century minimalist white which coated the original red bricks held up in the bedroom as he opened the door. A double bed with a fresh mattress and new sheets folded on top met him with one side table and a lamp. There were the same large windows lining the left side of the wall. Will went back outside to the closet and dumped his bags at the entrance, every floorboard creaked as he went. 

As he headed into the living room he noticed the fire escape outside the furthest right window, he knew leaving now would be pointless but it meant there was a way up to the roof. Will was curious and went over to try to pull up the window, it moved stiffly.

“Will?”

Will jumped as Jack came through the front door, he was holding a small case. 

“Time for you to be hooked up to this thing, it's very small so you will hardly notice it, it's also waterproof”

Will came away from the window and joined Jack who was in the center of the room. Jack put the case on the small table that sat in the center of the room with a small sofa on each side. 

“Lift your shirt”

Jack opened the case. Will did as he was told. He could feel Jack’s eyes on him as he removed his shirt. He knew the state he was in; he didn’t want pity.

“Will, Jesus Christ” 

“Just hurry up” 

Jack stayed silent as the device was attached to a small strap and placed around his waist, he had to tighten it considerably before it stayed put. The device was small and after Jack had finished with it, a small red dot emitted from it. 

“There”

Will put his shirt back on too quickly.

“We will keep in touch, oh there is a card in your bag for when you go out, for essentials only mind” 

Will nodded.

“We’ve tracked the location of the agent, he was last seen in Prospect Park, when your settled I would head there first” 

“Sure” 

“It is what it is Will, it’ll be over soon” 

Will nodded, Jack placed a hand on his shoulder and gripped it for a second before leaving. 

Will wanted to say he was wrong, it was merely the beginning for all of them.


	10. Reckoning

Chapter 10- Reckoning 

That evening…

Will watched as streams of orange and pink came through the windows of his otherwise blank living room. He was lying on one of the sofas facing the windows admiring the city as it went to sleep. He was sure that he was the only one in the entire building as he heard no signs of life including footsteps. Will sighed as the last of the sunlight was swallowed by the skyscrapers in the city and got up to attempt to make himself something to eat. The kitchen was attached to the living room or rather it was a fridge and a stove. Will rubbed his eyes and sifted through the bags of food that had been left for him and in the fridge. He made a simple sandwich; the bread was stale and dry.

He took it back to the table between the sofas but before he could sit down, he heard a new sound. Every crack and rumble he had managed to attribute to a specific floorboard or broken heater, but this sound was remarkably alive. A whining of some sort. His brow furrowed, he ate the sandwich in a few bites and placed the plate on the counter. As he went to his front door, he pressed his face to the door and he heard it again. He looked through the peephole but found nothing. He unlatched the door slowly, half expecting an alarm to go off but he was met with an empty lobby. He stepped outside and heard it again. He looked over the banister from where the noise came from and noticed it was becoming louder as it sensed somebody there. He walked down the stairs slowly until he came to the apartment directly below his. He could hear something squeaking and scratching to get out. Will knocked but noticed the door was hanging off of its hinges. He tried to push it open, but his arms were weak. He knelt down and peeked in the gap between the frame of the door and the hinges. He was met with a ball of brown and white fur and a set of brown eyes whining at him.

“Hey, buddy it's alright” He tried to soothe the panicking animal.

Will pushed the door again, this time he was rained on by a cloud of rotten wood. He stood and with the rest of his strength kicked at the already weakened part of the frame. It gave way instantly. A cloud of dust settled to reveal a young brown and white collie type dog lying in the entrance of the house. Will held his nose as the smell from the apartment overwhelmed him, he could tell it was starving and thirsty. He held out his hand slowly. It backed away initially before stepping forward and sniffing Will’s empty hand. 

“Someone’s left you here, haven’t they?” 

Will scratched his head and the dog wagged his tail. He peaked into the apartment, two rusting empty bowls were all that was left, the floorboards were decrepit and there was no sign that anybody was around. He called the dog and it gingerly left the apartment. Will picked it up and quickly turned it over.

“Well, a little boy it is then” Will continued to pet the dog and took it upstairs. He could see it had fleas and sighed, he had no idea what to do with it but took it into his apartment and put it down, it ran straight to one of the sofas. 

“You’ve had people at some point”

Will shook his head and went to one of the cupboards and fished out a bowl and filled it with water at the tap. He put it down and the little dog ran over and immediately started to drink until the bowl was empty, he filled it again and sat it down.

“I bet that feels better-having something in your tummy”

Will bent down to pick him up, he began licking his arms. He heard a knock at the door which startled both him and the dog. Jack appeared at the door looking confused. 

“Will, who the hell are you talking to?” He looked out of breath and Will tried not to smile at the thought of Jack running.

Will turned around and Jack squinted as he made out the tiny bundle in Will’s arms.

“And where did that come from?”

“You weren’t as thorough as you thought with searching this place, it was downstairs in its own filth”

Jack’s eyes widened momentarily. 

“Every time Will, these mutts must be attracted to you, I’ll phone the pound”

Will felt his anxiety return at that, most pounds were worse than what the dog had been left in.

“Jack…”

“Don’t even consider it, you are working for us and the last thing we need is that thing causing havoc” 

Will tried to think on his feet for an excuse.

“It would look more natural when I leave for the parks if I have a reason to be there”

Will gestured to the dog and Jack rolled his eyes.

“He looks in the same state as you Will, how do you know it's not too late?”

“I’ve had worse to deal with, can you at least let me take him to the vet?”

“Jesus Christ, this is not a vacation" 

“Jack please? It's not for me, it's just to get him out of here” 

Jack ran a hand down his face, he looked exhausted.

“I don’t have time for this Will, I told you, you're out of favours”

“Then can another agent take me?”

Jack huffed and took out his phone and went out into the hall. Will tried to keep the puppy happy but he was content with gently chewing his fingers. Jack returned and he put it down.

“This is only because that dog needs help, be ready for ten and Johnson will come and take you, can you keep the bloody thing under control until then?” 

Will felt a wave of relief.

“Thank you, Jack… I mean it”

Jack merely nodded before leaving down the stairs. 

Will looked in the fridge for something for the dog to eat and found a packet of cooked plain chicken. He could feel the dog at his feet curious as to what he was doing. 

“Come on you, bath first” 

He left the chicken on the counter and went through to the bathroom. He found a basic shampoo and turned the old shower on, thankful that it was at least warm. He placed the dog in the base of the shower and ran the water over it slowly, he scrubbed shampoo into its fur, the water soon turning brown as the filth washed off. He found himself smiling as the dog chased the bubbles in the base of the shower. He rinsed the rest of the shampoo out. The dog shook causing Will to laugh and become soaked, he wrapped it up in the nearest towel and took it through to the living room. He grabbed the packet of chicken on the way to the sofa. He lay the dog down and opened the packet, the puppy immediately shook the towel off and went to see what Will was holding, he broke off a small piece which he took straight away and continued to feed him small bites until he was satisfied. 

“You’ll feel better now, won’t you?” 

He scratched the dogs ears.

Will felt bizarre, he had barely spoken in months. He had forgotten the simple pleasure of looking after an animal, they were far less complicated than humans. He heard a knock at the door. He quickly dried the puppy off and went to the door. He recognised Johnson from the airport. He looked angry, to say the least.

“Where is it then?” He huffed and held out his hand.

“I thought I could come”

Johnson smirked.

“Look you might have Jack under your thumb but you’re not fooling any of us. Give me the dog” 

Will turned and picked up the dog who was circling his feet and handed him over reluctantly. 

Johnson turned and slammed the door behind him, he heard the dog yelp in surprise at the noise.

“Fucks sake” Will whispered under his breath.  
…

The day’s glorious sun had revealed a clear evening as Will watched the cars pass down the quiet street. He did not know whether the dog was coming back or not, and Johnson’s attitude bothered him intensely. He looked down and remembered he had tried the window earlier. He lifted the base of the window and it shunted upwards. He stepped out onto the fire escape. He steadied himself on the iron railing. He smelled the damp, cool fresh air and went up towards the roof. It was dark but the streetlights illuminated his path. He reached the roof and the wind had picked up considerably. A motion sensor came on and shone on a square of concrete tangled in weeds and broken aerials. There was a discarded plastic chair at the edge of the roof. Will went over to it and picked it up. He took it to the edge of the roof and sat down. He watched the lights of the city flicker; he could feel his eyes burning with exhaustion, but the fresh air was soothing.  
…  
He was half asleep when he heard a branch snap behind him. He did not move; he could feel somebody standing directly behind him. He knew if he spoke that would alert the dozens of agents along the streets including Jack. He stood slowly and turned around.

Will’s heart lurched. Hannibal stood before him in a thick black overcoat. He was about to open his mouth before Will realised something, he quickly held a finger to his lips. Hannibal closed his mouth again and smiled. Will wanted to yell at him, question him, punch him but they were frozen to their spaces. Hannibal moved forward silently until he was close enough that Will could feel his breath on his face. Will’s breath hitched as Hannibal's hands came under his shirt and across his torso, gently feeling along and down his waist until he found the strap that the wire was attached to. He let go, Will missed their warmth already, being touched by another had been very foreign to him. He looked up at Hannibal’s eyes, they were dark, and it was hard to make out his expression in the dim light. He held out his hand and traced his jawline softly. Hannibal leaned into it and the way his eyes creased, he could tell he was smiling. He let out an audible sigh and Will released his hand. Hannibal grasped it before he could put it down. It was a tight grip but not aggressive. Hannibal pulled Will into an embrace so close that Will could feel his lips to his ear. 

“How I have missed you” Will felt a shiver travel up his spine, Hannibal’s voice was barely audible. Will shook his head, trying to get him to stop. He wanted to be angry.

“All I ever did was to help you Will” Will pulled back to look into his eyes before whispering in his ear;

“They are waiting for you” 

Hannibal nodded. “I’ll come for you Will” 

Will pulled himself out of his embrace frowning. He pulled up his trouser leg and pointed at his ankle, the tag emitting a mocking blue light. Hannibal held out his hand once more pulling Will towards his chest. This time Will reciprocated grasping him tighter leaning into the nape of his neck. Neither was eager to leave but Will heard a car pull up outside the flat and stop. Will pulled away and turned to look over the roof’s edge, it was Johnson returning. Will turned around but Hannibal was gone. 

Will turned and found the fire exit he had ascended and took it two steps at a time reaching his window just as he heard a knock at the door. He entered the living room and went to the door.

He opened the door to see a furious looking Johnson with the puppy squirming in his arms.

“Here” 

The puppy was thrust at Will who just caught him.

“The damn thing has worms, the vet said to give him these... and why are you so out of breath?” 

Johnson handed him a bag of dog food and worming medication. Will tried to look nonchalant but his face was flushed. 

“Look I don’t give a crap, you owe me, the little shit pissed on me” 

“He’s only a baby” Will mumbled. 

“Well, it’s not my problem, I’m doing this for Jack, not you” 

With that, he left, and Will closed the door, he eyed the pills.

“Not so bad was it hmm?” He put the puppy down who went to his water bowl immediately. Will poured the dry food into a spare bowl which the puppy started eating, Will read the instructions on the packet and put one pill amongst the dry food, when he was sure he had eaten it he made his way to the bathroom for a shower.  
He turned on the shower and let the steam fill the room, he took off his shirt and avoided looking at the mirror, as he pulled his shirt over his head he felt something rustle, he looked down to see something was sticking out of the waistband the wire was attached to. He pulled it out and unfolded it, his eyes widened as he looked at the clock picture he had picked up from Hannibal’s office months ago, he thought he had lost it. It had become a common symbol between them, as he was about to put it away, he turned it over. There was a note on the back.

-Avec toi je suis moi- 


	11. Release

-6 Weeks Later-

“Go and play buddy” 

Will released the clip of the dog’s lead and watched him run off to play with the other dogs in the park. He took a seat on a spare bench and took a deep breath as the sun came through the trees and burned off the early morning mist. He had not been visited again and Jack was becoming restless. But the sight of Charlie running around without a care in the world calmed him. He liked the name, it sounded kind. Each day he would leave further from the apartment to build up his confidence. The park was filled with luscious trees and ponds teaming with wildlife. It was easy to forget why he was there but as with every week, there was nothing new to report. Charlie ran back and forth chasing other dogs, he was getting bigger by the day. He called Charlie over and attached his lead to him. It was not until he had left to pick up a copy from a café next to the park when he noticed his bench had been taken upon return. He rolled his eyes but before he could find another its occupant turned around and a stabbing realisation rose in Will’s stomach.

“Darling, you looked starved” Hannibal sighed shaking his head.

Will froze. That voice, how he had missed it. 

He took in the person before him, no three-piece suit or tie. A parka and a pair of glasses. Incognito indeed. He remembered his unfortunate predicament and stayed silent, silently praying that Hannibal would do the same. 

Hannibal smiled at Will’s silence. “We have ten minutes before the backup battery kicks in on those things and Jack comes knocking”  
Hannibal gestured to Will’s torso. 

Will relaxed visibly. “Do I even bother to ask how that is possible?”

“The short version is that somebody has remarkably diverted their signal” 

Will approached Hannibal slowly and joined him on the bench, placing his coffee beside him. 

Charlie hopped up onto the bench, Will tried to get him to stop pestering Hannibal but failed as he no longer fit in one hand.  
“And who may this be?” Hannibal raised a hand and Charlie sat immediately wagging his tail slowly looking up at Hannibal’s hand.  
“Er well I found him” Will brushed some loose hair out of his eyes. 

“You always find a way Will, remarkable” 

Hannibal lowered his hand and Will released his lead and watched him chase some poor birds in the long grasses.  
“I’m not sure about those” Will gestured to the specs, Hannibal lifted them off his face as if he had forgotten about them.

“For show, darling”

Will was also not sure about the new nickname. They both looked straight ahead, they didn't look like they knew each other. Will spoke first. "That agent is still missing" Hannibal turned his head slightly and raised an eyebrow. "How unfortunate, did you know him?" "I never said it was a him" Hannibal smirked. Will knew he would never truly know, Hannibal was not so stupid to brag about his 'activities' in broad daylight. Will didn't know jow long they had to talk so he said exactly what was on his mind. 

“You left me,” He said matter of factly. 

Hannibal breathed a sigh through his nose.

“You didn’t run fast enough” He said nochantly. 

“So this is my fault?” Will turned to him in disbelief. 

“You didn’t pay attention either, how many homeless people do you know that carry ten-dollar notes?”

Will opened his mouth in protest but knew whatever he thought of saying would be completely futile. 

“And the prison?” Will had to hear it from him regardless of the answer. Hannibal merely smiled which angered him and turned away to watch Charlie. 

“You know I nearly died cos of your so called ‘help’”

“Yet here you are, darling”

Hannibal smiled. Will turned to look at him in disgust. 

Hannibal noticed the face Will was pulling.

“Will…”

“I wanted your help, not this” He was angry now. “ I thought I wanted you, I thought you understood but you’re just…”  
“What Will? A monster? Please do enlighten me?" Hannibal remained calm but Will noticed his hand shaking slightly, he thought in anger. He had never seen him like this before. 

“What happened to you?” Will’s voice was small, like a child.

Hannibal met his eyes.

“I ran away”

“Why come back?”

“You asked”

Will rolled his eyes.

“Why help me then?” Will spat through gritted teeth. 

“You would be in the morgue if I hadn’t” “Don't sound so chivalrous” Will huffed. 

“It is mere fact, you were three days out from starvation and were so sleep-deprived, it alone would have seen you off sooner”  
“You can never leave me in peace, can you?”

Hannibal smirked. "Does it ever cross your mind that I actually want to help you"

"No" Will turned away. "I can't trust anything you say"

Will eyed Hannibal again, he looked tired. “You don’t look so good yourself, where do you live?" 

“Depends on the country” 

“Then keep going, I’m alive now move on”

Will muttered.

“I don’t want to” Will knew that Hannibal could be anywhere in the world, living any life yet he was here again.

“Ever since we met, I was very fond of you” Hannibal was testing the water with what he should say. 

“Fondness is not something I have the time for” 

“Me neither” Hannibal sighed.

“You have dragged me through the pits of hell and back; and for what? An admittance of affection?” Will was in slight disbelief. “I’m not a college lecturer anymore Hannibal, I have no merits to stand on and I could argue that is because of you”

“I don’t believe that”

“Of course you don’t, you have made it your lifelong goal to consistently uproot my life”

“We will never agree again, will we darling?” Hannibal spoke shaking his head. 

“I’m not your darling” 

Hannibal smiled. "That’s the same attitude you had walking into Jack’s office the first day we met”

“How sentimental of you” Will knew he was being childish but he couldn’t help it.

“Will…”

“What? Apologies for not jumping into your arms this time, you should leave” 

“If I remember correctly you tried to kill me" Hannibal was stating facts again. 

“I should have tried harder” Will spoke harshly under his breath. 

Hannibal nodded nonchalantly. “Perhaps. but you would have still ended up in jail”

By this point Will had had enough, he had began to shake with anger.“Look, what exactly do you want from me? I lied to you, so take that gun from your back pocket and finish it. You know I agreed to help them find you” Will leaned over to Hannibal so he was only a couple inches from his face and reached under his coat and into his pocket and as he expected there was a decent sized handgun tucked in snugly. He took his hand away, pausing for a fraction too longas there as their cheeks brushed together. 

“You’re far too interesting for that Will, if I planned on killing you it would be graceful”

“I think a gun to the head is graceful, considering I’m the last man standing in your charade” Will could feel Hannibal’s breath hitch slightly on his lips but he moved backwards, not daring to give him any sort of satisfaction. 

“Run away then Hannibal, they’ll know where you are by now” 

“I asked you to come with me last time and you didn’t, I will ask you once more Will”

“The only way I will leave this country with you, Doctor, is if you carry my dead corpse with you”

“So be it darling”. 

\---

The next day...

Everything was calm and warm.

Light was bouncing off the pristine white walls and obscure shadows darted from one place to the next. Everything was soft. Duck down duvets and fleece blankets were drawn over the bed in a precise symmetry that Will could only attribute to one man.  
He rubbed his eyes and sat up, noticing the lack of pain that he seemed to be experiencing. He was relieved to see Charlie lying on the bottom of the bed which made him frown as Hannibal did not seem to be a pet person. The room was grand in both size and decor which left Will questioning how long he had been asleep for.Then he noticed what he was wearing. He lowered the duvet slightly. A soft linen shirt, far too big to be his and far too comfortable had been buttoned up loosely on him.

He pushed the covers away and lifted the shirt gingerly, not a mark laced his body, in fact, he looked healthier. His ribs did not protrude as visibly and his skin was an even tone for once. As he was about to leave the bed, he felt a sharp pain in his left hand and found an IV plastered there. He followed the clear tube to a bag of saline above his head. He also noticed as he took in his surroundings that his bag from the apartment in Brooklyn was placed on a chair in front of him, not that he owned anything of value. He heard the doorknob turn and quickly lay down, pulled the duvet over himself and closed his eyes, trying to even out his breathing as if he were sound asleep. Footsteps came closer and Will knew that a figure was standing watching him from the end of the bed.

“Children are fond of hiding under the covers Will, personally I liked to face my fears head on”  
So, just as a child would, Will lowered the covers to reveal himself.

Hannibal stood, still wearing his glasses.

“What did you do to me?” Will croaked out.

“A light sedative to make you...easier to transport. You wouldn't come otherwise, you said it yourself” Hannibal looked Will up and down, obviously satisfied with his work.  
"I said I wouldn't come with you for a reason Hannibal" Will groaned. “Where are we?” 

“Indiana”  
Hannibal said straight away. “How in the hell...I…thats like 11 hours in a car" Will struggled to form a coherent sentence as he tried to sit up straighter. 

“Shhh Will, it’s alright I got you into my car and we drove to my apartment, that’s all” Hannibal walked over to the bedside and knelt down, raising his hand to touch his cheek but Will shied away from the contact. 

“It was the early morning, in the middle of a park. I didn’t even take anything from you” Then Will realised, when he had lingered next to Hannibal he would have had enough time to inject him with a finite needle, he would never have known. 

“Will, you asked me to come and get you” Hannibal rose slightly to sit next to Will on the bed. 

“I forgot...the lengths you would go to keep me in line and...and” Will was starting to wheeze with exhaustion.

“Will I need you to calm down, you don’t have the energy for this, let me help you.”

Will shook his head, his breathing was becoming more frantic. Charlie started whining at the commotion. 

“You are in shock Will, take a deep breath” Hannibal took the duvet off of the bed and opened two large windows that let a gush of fresh air into the room. Will felt the cool air chill his flushed cheeks and finally he could feel himself calm down. Hannibal handed him a glass of water from the bedside table and watched as Will sipped it slowly. Hannibal took his seat on the bed again and watched as Will’s hands shook trying to place the glass back down on the table. 

The only noise for some time was the draft from the windows flowing in and out of the room. Charlie approached Will slowly and he pet him softly as he began to feel better. Hannibal spoke softly.

“I can take you back Will, if it’s what you want but I highly suspect you’d rather be here, even with me, then back in prison”

Will pulled on the fabric of his shirt awkwardly. 

“I don’t want it” 

“What darling?” Will flinched at the inflicted nickname. Hannibal noticed. “Any of it! I don't want to go to prison for crimes you committed or suffer relentlessly from the stress you have given me, I don’t want you”

“You won’t live very long if you leave this room alone” Hannibal spoke sternly. “You’re very stubborn Will, you always have been”

Will sat up straighter, so he was the same height as Hannibal and finally he had the courage to look him in the eye.

“Tell me Hannibal, why me?”

No answer.

“Have there been others like me? playthings that you happen to find interesting or are they all dead too out of boredom” Will could feel himself sounding childish again, he hated himself for that.

“No Will, I don’t do this out of mere interest, please tell me you aren't so naive” 

“I just want peace Hannibal, I’m exhausted, look at me” Will pulled his shirt up.  
“I want to help you, my methods are just different”

“I’m very aware of your methods” Will deadpanned. 

Hannibal reached forward and placed his hand on Will’s bare chest. Hannibal could feel Will eventually lean into his touch. Without words, Hannibal moved forward and pulled Will into his arms.

“There will never be anyone like you Will Graham” 

Will gave up fighting the inevitable. He relaxed into the embrace and fought back tears. Hannibal ran a hand through his hair. Will spoke quietly. "I'm angry because i didn't want to find you"

Hannibal laughed quietly.

"I am only seen when I want to be Will, not the other way around. I wasn't leaving this time without you. If you don't want to be here, truly, then I will agree to hand myself in but I had to help you first, I'm not joking when I say, you are far too malnourished to go anywhere. Don't torture yourself over what you are feeling, there is nothing to be guilty for"

"Stop phychoanalysing me" Will grumbled into Hannibal's shirt.

\---  
One week later...

“I went back, you know to your office…” 

Hannibal looked down as he attached a fresh saline bag above Will’s head.

Will met his eyes and Hannibal smiled. “I was half hoping you would still be there” 

“What was left? Anything good?” Hannibal sat on the edge of the bed, smoothing out the creases in the sheets as he did so.

“A picture”

Hannibal looked up with interest.

“A clock, I know it was me who drew it, but I can’t remember anything else”

Hannibal was curious, “Where is it?”

Will shook his head “Back in Brooklyn, I won't ask how it got there either but they'll know I went with you because of it” 

Hannibal hummed in approval but said nothing else and Will wondered whether speaking his mind in that way was something equally as foreign to him and so poems and drawings were preffered way of expressing himself. Hannibal got up to leave the room which caused Will to feel panicked, he wasn’t sure why and found himself clutching his fresh sheets.

“Do you need anything else?" Hannibal asked. 

Will wanted to say yes, just for the company.

“What do you do when you're not watching me?” That was all he could come up with.  
Hannibal paused as if that was the last thing, he expected Will to say.

“I read mostly or draw, I’m only next door Will, don’t worry, just call for me”  
Will was not convinced but he was still too tired to argue and lay down as soon as Hannibal left the room.  
___ The morning came and Will pulled the duvet over his head as somebody had thrown the curtains open at the crack of dawn.  
“Will darling you really must get yourself into healthy habits, including getting up before noon” 

Will just mumbled something insulting through the sheets.

“Well I’m not bringing breakfast to you this time”

Will lowered the sheets, Hannibal had left the door open. Will rubbed his hands over his face and noticed he no longer had an IV drip plastered there. Getting out of bed was still a challenge, his legs were one step behind his brain, but he felt he was getting stronger ever so slightly.

The aroma of bacon and eggs flowed through the hall and Will followed it like a starved dog. The house was very beautiful but Will didn’t expect anything less of Hannibal. Fresh white and soft avocado walls with the occasional painting lining the staircase. Will heard a shuffling of plates towards his right and so he followed. A simple table had been set with toast and fresh orange juice, small plates, and cutlery. Will thought he was in some suburban nightmare. Charlie was already waiting for him in the kitchen with his own bowls. 

“What’s all this? This is a step up for you buddy” Will spoke to Charlie as he pulled a chair from under the table, its legs scraping unfavorably on the wooden floor causing him to flinch slightly.

Hannibal turned around, smiling; it was rather unnerving thought Will. 

“Well you got up mostly on your own accord today so that’s something to...celebrate”

“You sound like my mother” Will sighed as he bent down to pet Charlie.

“He is very loyal to you already, he isn’t too fond of me yet” 

“And that bothers you? That’s hilarious” Will held back laughter.

Hannibal just smiled and set the plates of food down. He held up a glass of orange juice and tipped it towards Will before sipping it.  
“Thank you for breakfast, it’s lovely as usual” Will spoke around a mouthful of bacon rashers, wolfing it down.  
Hannibal nodded as he delicately ate his and that’s when Will noticed it.

Hannibal’s right hand was shaking again, a slight thing that nobody would notice unless they were explicitly looking. Will imagined Hannibal trying so hard to cover it. A man of such precision faltering at something so easy was very saddening to Will and he could tell Hannibal knew he had noticed. He tried to change the subject but found nothing of interest to talk about. After a short while, he spoke.

“Have you got a plan?” Will asked cautiously, imagining the very thin ice he had landed himself on.  
“Of sorts...how are you feeling?” Hannibal sounded very solemn suddenly.

“Better, the food is helping” Will tried to smile at Hannibal but he could feel how forced it must look. 

“Excellent” By now Hannibal had finished, he went to stand and take the plates but as he did so, a fork slipped off one of the plates and he lost his grip on the rest of the china. The whole set crashed onto the table, causing Will and Charlie to jump. Hannibal took a deep breath and smiled at Will apologetically before leaving into the kitchen.  
___  
It was late evening before Will heard the front door click open gently. He had spent the rest of his day tidying up the state of the kitchen and finding his way around the grand town house and was currently reading on the sofa. He did not know whether to say anything and so he didn’t, sitting up from his position was all he had time to do before he heard the creak of the stairs and the soft thud of footsteps.

Debating whether to follow, Will busied himself in the kitchen again. Remembering where he had found loose leaf tea and a strainer, he got to work. Just as he was about to go, he threw a sugar into the cup and wandered upstairs, trying to remember if Hannibal even took sugar in the first place. Will knocked on a door next to his room and pushed it open slowly. A soft glow emanating from a floor lamp illuminated a figure sitting on a double bed reading. With his back to the door. Will wanted to leave immediately, feeling like he was encroaching on Hannibal’s personal space. Will never thought he would see Hannibal in such a unintimidating state. He looked warm and safe and that disturbed him more than his usual cool demeanour. To let him see himself completely and utterly defenseless was unsettling. 

Feeling awkward standing at the entrance of the room, he inched closer, very aware of the creaking on the floorboards. He sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the irony as he was mimicking Hannibal’s actions to him and tentatively placed a hand on Hannibal’s shoulder, feeling the strong muscle as he moved down to his forearm and squeezed gently. Hannibal stirred for a moment before turning his head. Will reached over and placed the tea on the bed side table in front of him.  
“Did you have a nice evening?” Small talk was the best Will could come up with.

“It was...mediocre” Hannibal put his book down and met his eyes. He listened intently to the soft hum of life outside and he found himself best to leave. As he was about to get up, Hannibal grasped his hand.  
“I apologise for my behaviour Will, I’m not one for….”

“It’s fine, I understand your frustration” 

“You do?” Hannibal put his book on his bed side and smiled when he noticed Will’s attempt at tea making.  
“I assume it’s your injuries from the…accident, no need to apologise” Will fiddled with his shirt hem, a habit now. Hannibal listened politely and Will continued. “Your body has always been at peak condition, especially your hands, they are your tools and by losing them you lose the ability to be you”  
Hannibal looked visibly uncomfortable.

“In a manner of speaking, yes” He spoke quietly.

“Will it continue to deteriorate?” Will pressed gently. 

“To an extent but with exercise it won’t be so bad” Will could tell he was lying which was even more unsettling but decided to leave it.  
Hannibal sighed and went to stand but paused when Will spoke.

“Are you afraid?” Will hadn’t realised he had spoken out loud and instantly regretted the personal question feeling the tension in the air, thick and hot.  
Hannibal sat back down and turned to face him. “Are you?”

“All the time”

“Finally, something to agree on then” Hannibal smiled softly. 

Will was taken aback by his honesty. Fear was never something that Will had ever read from Hannibal’s body language and now it seems it had caught up to him. He wanted to say he deserved it for his actions but the words never came forth. Hannibal sat up and poured himself a cup of tea. 

“I should be making you tea Will, not the other way around” 

Will could feel Hannibal notice his rather awkward posture, he tried to relax. 

“Will you have every reason to want to be afraid of me…” 

Hannibal moved his hand slowly to rest on his arm, but Will pulled away. 

“It is not you that I am afraid of, it’s the uncertainty of it all, I finally get into some sort of routine, and then it is taken away from me”  
“Will, I’m sorry I’m doing everything I can”

Will shook his head. “I know, it’s just who I am” 

“Will, If this is not what you want, I know Jack only needs me, you could have your life back, I would not blame you, after all, I am the reason for all of this”  
“Well, I willingly participated so there is no more to say about it” 

Will moved closer towards Hannibal, who placed his tea down in curiosity. He wanted to be closer to someone physically again, it provided sanctuary to him.  
“I would have done it by now, you are a constant in my life"  
Hannibal smiled and nodded. 

“I’m glad you are feeling better”

Will nodded and moved so that he was sitting crossed-legged on the bed, Hannibal eyed him cautiously.  
“Thank you, Will, I appreciate that, I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for it” 

Hannibal mimicked him and he sat further onto the bed sitting crossed legged in front of Will. Will enjoyed seeing Hannibal in such a casual pose. 

“It's late Will, are you not tired?”

Will shook his head and reached out his hand which Hannibal took slowly, tracing his fingers softly on his palm. He could feel his anxiety return but he did not let it control him, he took a breath and moved closer so that their legs were touching. He had never experienced a relationship like this before, it was chaotic yet addictive to him.

Hannibal sat up straighter releasing his hand.

“Will perhaps when you are better, we can discuss a more physical…”

Will nodded. “Of course, sorry I just assumed that that is what you wanted”

Hannibal took Will’s hand again and gripped it tighter.

“It has occurred to me, yes, but I thought it appropriate to wait until you were completely recovered”

Will found his breathing speed up at the thought of being that intimate with somebody again. 

“I was not sure you saw me in such a light”

Will frowned and found a loose thread to pick at whilst he spoke.

“I haven’t been with…you know anyone in a long time, it could be something that we both need and nothing more or it could be more serious than that. After everything, I am so conflicted, but it is not something I have ruled out if we started slowly and honestly I just want to feel something again”

Will looked up slowly to see Hannibal smiling. “Anything for you” 

“You mean that?”

Hannibal gripped his hand tighter. “I swear”

“We don’t hurt anybody else unless necessary”

Hannibal laughed softly. “Always the sweet soul Will, after everything I showed you to be capable of. Yes, I think I can manage that” 

“Good” 

“Well, I should let you sleep Will”

Hannibal went to release their hands but Will didn't remove his hand. He looked at their hands intertwined. Everything Hannibal had done from the beginning was for him, he knew that at any moment he could choose to free himself and send him to prison yet he was the only person he could truly say understood him as well as he understood himself. Will knew that when he had truly accepted that; all that was left two people clasping onto each other for something more. 

Will looked up to met Hannibal's eyes, their hands still together, he slowly felt every detail of Hannibal's hand, every bump and scratch.

Will let go and placed a hand slowly on Hannibal's cheek which he leant into, moaning softly, the contact causing a wave of pleasure to wash over him.

"Hannibal..." 

Hannibal turned his head and placed a light kiss on his palm. Will audibly sighed and closed his eyes for a moment lowering their hands. Hannibal noticed the tremor in his hand had slowed considerably an smiled. Will spoke with his eyes shut "What are you trying to do to me?" he gasped. 

Hannibal moved forward, only briefly opening his eyes to check Will's body language. Will leaned in as well, both hovering slightly, silently asking each other for permission before pressing their lips together slowly. Will allowed himself to be pushed back slowly until he was lying on the bed, Hannibal continued to kiss him softly. Will encouraged him, opening his mouth and letting him kiss him deeper, he let out a soft moan, wanting more. Hannibal pulled back slowly and Will opened his eyes, he could feel his cheeks flushed as he looked into his amber eyes, his pupils blown.

Will lifted a hand and ran it through Hannibal's hair that covered his eyes. 

"Anything you want" Hannibal breathed.


	12. Heat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 18+ Content (You have been warned!)

The next morning...

Will awoke to the sound of a soft scratching, he thought it might be Charlie scratching to get out but as he felt beside him, he could feel him lying in the crook of his knees fast asleep. He opened his eyes slowly and felt a weight beside him and turned around. He saw Hannibal sitting up beside him with a small sketchbook and charcoal pencil in hand, and glasses. He had a small crease in his forehead concentrating. Hannibal peered over the sketchbook at Will and smiled when he noticed he was awake. 

“Good morning Will” 

Will sat up and stretched slowly. 

“Morning” 

Charlie arose when he heard voices, Will pet him and he jumped off the bed and out the door. 

“What are you doing?” Will asked as Hannibal closed his sketchbook.

“It’s a gift”

“oh” Will looked down at the duvet.

Hannibal laughed softly before opening the book and tore the page out gently and handed it open. Will’s mouth fell open. 

“This is for me?”

The drawing was the perfect impression of Will sleeping and Charlie beside him. They looked so calm. Every edge was softened yet beautifully proportioned.

“Do you like it? I’m a bit rusty” 

Will nodded. “It’s beautiful”

Hannibal smiled broadly.

“Good, you always look so peaceful sleeping” 

Will nodded before placing it in the drawer of the bedside cabinet.

“Thank you” 

Hannibal went to get up, but Will took his hand and brought Hannibal into an embrace. He couldn’t believe how natural that felt. Hannibal gripped him tighter.

“I mean it” Will whispered.

“I know darling”

Hannibal placed his thumb under Will’s chin, gently pulling him forward and kissed him slowly easing his lips open causing him to moan softly. Will pulled back, his head fuzzy.

“I need to shower” Will groaned into the nape of Hannibal’s neck. 

“Will you manage? Heat can make you dizzy” 

Will smiled and looked up.

“I’ll yell if I need you”

Hannibal laughed softly.

Will slipped out of the bed and went to the bathroom, feeling for the first time excitement of the possibility of being intimate with someone. But as soon as the wave of happiness hit him, he found himself crippled with guilt. He looked at himself in the mirror and barely recognised himself. Hannibal could make you feel like nothing else mattered to him until he saw himself and realised that outside of this life, he was alone and reality had caught up to him. He did not realise how long he had been standing there until he heard a knock on the door. Will snapped his head up at the noise. Hannibal entered slowly.

“Will? Are you alright? Its been half an hour and the shower isn’t on yet” 

“Yeah I…keep blanking”

“I think you’re disassociating, its very common following trauma” 

Will nodded.

“Why don’t I run you a bath instead?” 

“Yeah…okay” Will hadn’t realised he was clenching the sink so hard, he let go and the blood flowed back into his fingers causing them to go tingly.  
Hannibal walked over and turned Will to face him. He brushed his hair out of his eyes.

“One day at a time Will” 

Will nodded and leant against his chest feeling his heartbeat was soothing. 

“Come on, wait in the bedroom okay?”

Will watched as Hannibal down the hall to a larger bathroom which Will hadn’t seen yet, he sat on the bed and Charlie came to join him, he pet him softly and he wagged his tail. 

“You need a bath too I reckon” Will scratched behind his ear and laughed when he rolled onto his back.  
About ten minutes later Hannibal returned.

“Its ready Will” He smiled and Will nodded. 

Will went down the hall and could already smell lavender as the steam drifted into the hall. He found the door open to the bathroom and was taken aback by the size of the bath. It was almost double the size of a regular one and had small candles dotted around the room. The bath was not over scented either. Will debated closing the door as he removed his clothes but only closed it over, another silent invitation. He removed his clothes and tested the water before getting in. He closed his eyes and breathed in the steam. 

After a small while, he heard footsteps outside the bathroom which paused for a minute before he felt a slight draft at the door opening and closing. He still had his eyes closed when he felt hands gently take his arm and massage it slowly. Will felt venerable for the first time in a while, his brow furrowing but as Hannibal continued, he felt himself relax as he worked down his arm to his fingers applying firm pressure to the skin. When he eventually opened his eyes, Hannibal was smiling. 

“That feels good” Will moaned. 

Hannibal continued and Will lay back. 

“Will?” 

“Mhmmm” 

“I need to go out later”

“That doesn’t sound very good” 

“Its nothing major, just need new supplies “ 

Will knew he was making it sound a lot safer than it did.

“What does that really mean?” 

“We will have to move again very soon, I just need to finalise the details” 

Will knew it was inevitable and he supposed he would just have to get used to it. He nodded letting Hannibal resume.

“I suppose you will be going alone” 

“That was the plan” 

“And what if I refuse”

“Refuse?”

Hannibal paused. 

“To let you go by yourself”

“Will…” Hannibal warned.

“Why not?” 

“Will, this is a lot more complicated than you think it is”

“Is it really…” 

Hannibal was getting agitated at Will’s constant questioning. Will enjoyed it.

“Will don’t test me, I mean it, I’m doing this for you” 

“and I believe you” 

Hannibal suddenly got up and left the bathroom. Will quickly got up and grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his torso. 

“Hannibal?” 

Will found him heading down the stairs and followed him.

“Hannibal c’mon, I was only joking…I don’t want you thinking I don’t understand how serious this is…”

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Hannibal went into the kitchen and before he could speak another word, Will felt himself be pushed backwards, his back hitting one of the walls as Hannibal held a hand to his chest.

“Do you know what I have done for you, Will? the lengths I will always go for you”

Will focused and saw Hannibal’s face, he was flushed with anger.

“Hannibal, I didn’t mean... I was just trying to…flirt” Will cringed internally at how that sounded. 

Hannibal paused; his eyebrows raised. He put his hand down and realised what he was doing. Will relaxed. 

“I…Will…I’m sorry I just…”

“I was just trying to help, I thought we were together on this. I'm capable of a lot more than you think I am” 

Will shook his head and made his way back through the house and up the stairs. He went into the bathroom and drained the bathtub and blew out the candles. Charlie was still in his room he went to pet him. 

“Go on, Hannibal will let you out” 

Charlie left the room, and he heard the back door open in the distance. Will focused on getting dressed. 

...

That evening…

Will had spent the day keeping Charlie occupied playing in the garden and enjoying the fresh air while he could and eating leftovers. He heard the front door open, it was late, and he was reading in front of the fireplace. The weather was turning colder by the day. He sat up straight as he heard Hannibal enter the living room. He placed his book down and looked over. He looked tired like the pretence of the day could finally be lifted. He went over to one of the cupboards and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of Scotch.

He brought them over to the table and placed them down and poured the copper liquid into the glasses and sat down.

“Thanks” was all Will could think to say. He took a glass and sipped it. He relished in the warmth it brought him. Hannibal sipped his and they said nothing, the only noise was that of the crackling fire and Charlie sleeping soundly in front of the fireplace. He placed his glass down and took Hannibal’s which caused him to finally look at him, with his heart pounding he stood from his position on the couch in front of Hannibal and placed a hand under his chin, getting him to look him the eye. He walked forward and straddled Hannibal’s hips. Hannibal said nothing as Will brought his hands up to his cheeks and guided his face until their lips met and kissed him slowly. Hannibal was hesitant as first before he placed his cool hands under Will’s shirt causing him to shiver. Hannibal ran his hands up and down his torso making Will moan softly until Hannibal pulled back.

“Will, I’m sorry”

“No, I shouldn’t have kept pressing you”

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Hannibal looked visibly ashamed.

“No, you’ve done worse…we both have to be honest” 

That earned him a soft smack to his thigh which made him smile.

“I know the lengths you have gone to Hannibal and thank you will never be enough; I’ll skip a thousand towns over if it means that we are together one way or another” 

“I was pathetic Will, I don’t need sympathy, it's just this move is imperative and logistically a nightmare”

“Then why don’t we travel separately” 

“Will, we don’t have to talk about this now”

“I need to know because if it goes wrong then…”

“You are only implicating yourself by knowing, I promise I’ll tell you more soon”  
Will huffed but nodded.

“You are so frustrating” He mumbled.

Hannibal took his face close to his, their lips barely touching and whispered “Good” before kissing him hard, Will leant back as Hannibal bit and sucked at his neck causing him to hiss at the pain but relish in the contact before taking his lips to his again. He could feel the heat pool in his stomach. Will pulled back and whispered in his ear. 

“I want you”

Hannibal traced his jaw with his fingers. “Are you sure?” 

“Yes” 

Will got up and grabbed his drink, downing it before grabbing the bottle and heading upstairs. He could feel his heart racing as he took the stairs and placed the bottle on the bedside cabinet and went into the bathroom. He splashed water onto his face and combed his fingers through his hair. He could hear Hannibal come up the stairs and he felt remarkably awkward, he had never felt such anticipation with any of the women he had been with before. He heard the bedroom floorboards creek, every sound amplified as Hannibal came round the corner and stopped in the doorway of the bathroom leaning against the door frame, smiling.  
Will pulled at the hem of his shirt but Hannibal approached him and took his hands to stop him. 

“At any point, this is too much for you, just say” 

Will nodded. Hannibal led him to the bed and they sat at the edge, Will could still feel the burn of the alcohol on his lips. The wind outside whistled in the windows and thunder rumbled in the distance. Hannibal kissed him slowly until Will relaxed his shoulders and focused on nothing else but the sound of his own heartbeat. He was aware that Hannibal was unbuttoning his own shirt, Will opened his eyes and placed his hands over his and finished taking the shirt off. He could feel his hands fumbling and cursed himself. Hannibal smiled and Will was grateful he didn’t bring any attention to it. Will took his shirt off over his head and Hannibal grinned. He felt better than he had in months as Hannibal had been religiously preparing meals. He had even gained some muscle walking Charlie for hours on end. Hannibal reached over and encouraged him to lie on the bed as he dotted his chest with slow-burning kisses. Will absently placed his hand in his hair as he did so gripping tighter when he realised he was travelling further down his body. 

Hannibal looked up as he felt Will tense, Will nodded and he continued. Hannibal sat up and encouraged Will to lift his hips as he took off his trousers, he could feel himself getting harder. Hannibal palmed him through his boxers causing him to moan deeply before removing them altogether and going down on him.  
Will gripped the silken sheets of the bed as felt Hannibal take him in one movement, the heat and wetness were exquisite, he was groaning deeply after only a few minutes. He grabbed Hannibal’s hair and pulled him upwards until he looked him in the eye. He didn’t want to finish yet. He pulled him to his lips. Hannibal looked concerned that he had done something wrong until Will whispered,

“I want you to fuck me” 

Will could hear his breathing stop for a fraction of a second which pleased him. 

“Will…” 

“Please” 

Hannibal hung his head and groaned. “You are irrepressible” 

Will grinned. “I know”

“Wait here” 

Every brush against him was agony as Hannibal went to the side drawer of the other bedroom cabinet and pulled out a small glass jar. 

“You are remarkably organised” Will moaned, fighting the urge to stroke himself. 

“I never wanted you to think I was expecting anything,” Hannibal said quietly as he positioned himself over Will and placed a deep kiss on his lips.

“I’m just grateful you have it now” Will smiled. 

“I’ll go slowly” 

Will was struggling to keep his composure as Hannibal unscrewed the lid of the small jar and dipped his fingers into it. He placed the jar back on the bedside cabinet and gently encouraged Will’s legs apart. He warmed the gel in his fingers before placing his fingers at his entrance and pushed one finger in slowly. Will hissed at the initial pain before relaxing after a few moments, it was a completely new sensation. Hannibal worked another finger in, stretching him slowly until he curved his fingers up slightly which left Will gasping and groaning, he tried not to buck his hips. Another finger was pressed in causing a shiver up his spine. “Hannibal…fuck” he moaned. The pressure was suddenly gone as he heard Hannibal undo his belt, he could see a bulge in his trousers which caused him to flush. Hannibal noticed and smirked. He removed his trousers and underwear and kept eye contact with Will as he stroked himself, hair fell in front of his eyes, Will had never seen him so dishevelled, he grinned. Hannibal positioned himself so Will could feel the head press against his entrance. Hannibal pushed in slowly watching as Will’s mouth fell open in silent pleasure. He let him adjust and placed his hands either side of Will’s head and moved slowly out and back in. 

“Mmmm fuck” Will relished in the pleasure. He watched Hannibal’s expression as he let go. He thrust harder causing them both to moan. Will arched his back which caused Hannibal to hit a new spot, he groaned. “Harder”. Hannibal obliged, thrusting harder and faster leaving both breathless. Will felt the heat in his stomach become unbearable. “God, you’re so hard” he mumbled. Hannibal continued, grasping the headboard above Will’s head and the sheets next to his head.

“Fuck Will, you’re so tight” 

Will could feel himself becoming close and grasped at Hannibal’s shoulders digging his nails into his back which caused Hannibal to moan deeply. He could not hold off and let out a cry as he came, waves of pleasure causing him to see white. Hannibal’s thrusts became more erratic as he came closer to finishing. As he was about to pull out, Will placed his legs around his hips and held him in position as he came moaning as his thrusts slowed breathing hard. He pulled out slowly and lay down next to Will who could feel himself shaking slightly. Hannibal’s hand came over his torso and gripped him softly. After a while, Hannibal spoke.

“Are you alright?” 

Will nodded. “Yeah, that was…”

Will’s mind was empty, no anxiety or fear, pure pleasure had left his body completely relaxed. 

“It can be quite overwhelming” Hannibal soothed. 

“No, it felt good…really good” He turned in his arms and rested his head on his chest. Hannibal kissed his forehead.

“I’ve never heard you swear before” 

Hannibal smiled and looked at Will. “What do you mean?”

“I like it, you being…vocal” 

“Note taken” Hannibal laughed. Will reached over and grabbed the bottle of scotch and took a sip to ground him. 

“Will?” 

Will could feel eyes on him and turned to see Hannibal watching him for his side. 

“Mhmm?” Will put the bottle down.

Will looked at Hannibal who had turned on his side. 

“You look beautiful tonight, truly” 

Will could feel his cheeks flush, he wanted to blame the alcohol. Hannibal brought the duvet over them both and brought his hand over Will’s hips to bring him closer, he leant into it and before long fell asleep to the patter of the rain hitting the windows.


	13. Flee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warning for mention of feeling sick and vomiting *

The next morning…

Will jolted awake as he felt somebody lying next to him, a hand reached around his waist and he froze.

“Will, what’s the matter?” A voice grumbled into his ear.

Will relaxed when he remembered the events of last night. 

“Nothing”

He looked at the clock and noticed it was still early. He heard scratching at the door and rolled his eyes as he heard Charlie whining to get in. 

“I’ll be back in a minute” He groaned as he sat up and rubbed his face. Hannibal stirred for a moment before going back to bed. He put on some clean underwear and a t-shirt. 

From the bedroom window, he looked down at the street he was yet to walk. The odd passer-by running or strolling with their dog. They were living their life just like any other day and he realised it would be a long time if ever that he could do that. Will knew it would take just one eagle-eyed bastard to recognise just one of them and they would be back where they started. It was spitting rain again and a soft gale was blowing. Will could tell by looking at the trees across the street, they waved back and forth at him gently. 

He opened the door and Charlie bounded through onto the bed.

“Charlie c’mon down” He tried to scold him.

He had raced under the covers much to Hannibal’s annoyance. Hannibal sat up groggily and pet Charlie softly calming him down until he lay down with him. Will grinned at the pair of them. He thought he might as well get up as the sun started to rise. He walked quietly down the hallway. He entered the bathroom and for the first time in weeks looked at himself in the mirror. He looked good, like himself again. His cheeks had lost the sharpness of his cheekbones and as he lifted his shirt, he did not see his ribcage anymore. He brushed his teeth and washed his face, jumping when he looked up and saw Hannibal in the mirror, shirtless behind him.

“I told you” Hannibal peered his head around the door smiling.

Will looked up, embarrassed. 

“You’re up early”

Hannibal nodded. “So are you”

“Well…I can’t always get back to sleep” 

“Are you alright Will?” Hannibal entered the bathroom slowly. 

“Yeah just, it’s a lot sometimes”

“Indeed” 

Hannibal came and gently held Will from behind and smiled as he looked at both of them in the mirror.

“I won’t let anything happen to you Will” 

Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Why don’t you come back to bed?” 

Will smiled and opened his eyes.

“I have to feed the dog” 

Hannibal laughed quietly.

“Oh I see how it is”

“You know I choose my dogs over anything” Will grinned and turned in his arms placing a light kiss on his cheek.

“Even me?” 

“Oh especially you” Will laughed as he left the bathroom and grabbed some trousers before heading downstairs. Charlie was waiting patiently at the back door and he patted him before letting him out. He left the door open as he went to the kitchen to make coffee and filled up Charlie’s bowls before taking his mugs back upstairs where he found Hannibal back in bed reading. Will couldn’t help but smile, it was an odd sight to see someone who was once so formal completely relaxed.

“What are you reading?” Will entered the room and handed him a mug. Hannibal closed the book and took It gratefully. 

“Absolute nonsense” 

He sipped the coffee as Will got back into bed. 

“So, are you any further forward?” Will tried to sound calm but he was anxious to know what their next move would be.   
Hannibal nodded. “Yes, we will be ready to leave in the next week or so…I’m sorry it's so soon, I’ve been keeping on eye on the news and your old friend Jack has been rather diligent in his leads”

“What does that mean?” 

Hannibal paused and gave Will a look and suddenly it dawned on him.

“They found that agent” Will breathed, he could feel anxiety rise in his chest, he put his mug down and tried to keep his breathing calm as he pressed him further. 

“Will, I didn’t kill him” 

Will paused.

“Why not? What did you do to him?” 

“I swore to you I would do what was best and for you, I just moved him out of the way for a while, I didn’t harm him, he did what I wanted him to do and got Jack to bring you to me so I merely diverted their resources that were looking for us into looking for him, I have planned for this Will, now come” Will did not know why but obeyed and resumed his position on the bed.

“Just be honest with me” Will hissed.

“This is why I would rather not tell you, its easier to keep you safe”

“Oh I’ve missed your logic” Will rolled his eyes.

“Will drink your coffee” 

He huffed but took his mug and drank it in silence, occasionally meeting Hannibal’s eyes until Will felt comfortable enough to finally say something that had been preying on his mind. 

“Last night, you…”

Hannibal put his mug down and looked concerned. 

“Did I do something you didn’t like?” 

“No, precisely the opposite” 

“Then why do you look so unhappy?” 

“The things you said to me, you mean that?” 

Hannibal smiled. “Is this what is bothering you so much? You doubt my sincerity?” 

Will played with the duvet sheet absently as he thought of a way to say what he meant. Hannibal waited patiently.

“I’ve just never done any of this before. I look at you and know that even if I left you wouldn’t come after me” 

“Is that what you want Will?”

“No, but I fear that one day that choice will have to be made” 

“And it is your decision, I want you to be safe and ultimately if your life gets put in danger so severely that even I can’t help you, I want to know that you will choose yourself, you have to” 

“You would do that?”

“No Will, the day that comes where you are no longer beside me, I will not walk this earth” 

Will was taken off guard but Hannibal’s words once again, it flawed him each time. 

“I hope you know that”

Will came back around and nodded as Hannibal continued; “You are worthy of being loved and taken care of, it’s a privilege that you would let me into your life again” 

Will paused. “You said lo..” He could not finish his words as they trailed off. Hannibal took his hands and brought him closer to him on the bed.

“I hope that is not a surprise to you”

It was not, Bedelia had brought this to his attention before and he had fought against it to the point where that memory had faded. But he could never accept it because then it would mean accepting a part of himself that terrified him. 

“No, it, god I’m sorry... I can’t…can you give me a minute?” Will trailed off placing his coffee down and left the bed, before he knew it, he was at the back door watching Charlie in the garden, he sat on the back doorstep taking in the fresh air. 

Anytime he was sure he would find Hannibal, he never genuinely wanted to. The thrill of the chase was what they lived for and so he could never imagine that ending. Could he admit to himself that they could run together instead of after each other? He needed air, proper space to collect himself. He called Charlie over and picked up his lead he left on a hook next to the door and clipped it to him. He slipped shoes on and a coat and closed the back door behind him. He set off in a direction and kept going, through quiet alleys and lanes until he emerged onto a large square surrounded by small shops. It was very quiet and he felt safer sticking to the maze of lanes that led off the square until he saw trees up ahead which spread out into large parkland and woods. He relaxed as soon as he was surrounded by dense trees and beaten paths. Charlie wagged his tail the entire way which made him smile. He followed various paths until they opened out onto a river and all he could hear was the sound of it rushing past. It was still early, and he didn’t see anyone. He took his jacket off and placed it down, sitting on it, and let Charlie off watching as he sniffed about the edge of the river and chased any insects he had disturbed. There was a heavy cloud that shrouded the entire park in a silky mist, it was also freezing which did not help. He rubbed his forearms with his hands. 

He brought his knees up to his chin and watched the water silently drift past, the occasional bird flying above him. Just as he could have left Hannibal easily weeks ago, he could have left him behind as many times, but they were inexplicably linked together, never fully giving each other up as much as he thought he was. The only discernible difference he recognised was that Hannibal had the confidence to say what he felt. He always did. 

He saw more people begin to appear in the park, so he called Charlie back in and attached his lead and put on his jacket again. He kept his head down but soon realised the path he was on was leading further and further away from the trail he had entered on. He stopped and looked around and swore. Charlie looked up at him and whined. 

“I know buddy, c’mon we’ll try this way instead” He kept walking until the woods seemed to fizzle out into a more urban area which made him feel more relaxed until he noticed it was completely the wrong side of town. 

Will flinched as a spec of rain landed on his forehead. He looked up to see the black clouds roll in like smoke from a chimney. He looked around but the small number of people in the street had started to disperse into shops. Will pulled his collar up as the wind lapped at his face. The back streets he had found himself on were filthy with rubbish and debris which was only made worse by the wind. Charlie started yelping as the wind caught his ears. Will sighed and picked him up as he noticed shards of glass littering the sidewalk. He was about to approach the main street when he saw a police cruiser drive past slowly. He froze but the officers didn’t look down the street. Charlie nuzzled into his jacket as thunder rumbled above them. He took the risk and entered onto the main shopping street all but deserted by people huddling under the canopies or in cafés. He put Charlie down and clutched his lead, the only thing keeping him grounded.

He recognised it as the main square he had avoided earlier and as he looked on he knew the way back to the house from here, was straight across it. As he made it across the square he noticed in a sea of grey and black suits was a crimson red jacket admiring the shop front under a canopy, she was alone. Will turned to keep going as he recognised the street was one of the nearest to the home until the women turned around. Her scarlet lipstick was instantly recognisable. Alana Bloom. They were about ten feet away from each other and as their eyes met Will knew by the way her mouth fell open and the colour drained from her face that she saw him. He was going to keep walking, but it was too late. He saw her reach for her phone in a trembling hand which caused him to head straight for her, she immediately turned and walked down another street, phone held up to her ear. He sped up until he knew nobody was watching and grabbed her arm and pushed her against a wall. 

“Put the phone down and don’t scream” 

Alana’s mouth opened but she couldn't speak. Charlie began to growl next to him at the perceived threat.

“W…Will?”

Her makeup started to stream as the rain hammered down on them both. 

“Of all the people it had to be you. What are you doing here?” Will shook his head and thought he had entered one of his nightmares. He snatched the phone from her hand and noticed it was connected. He held it to his ear, there was a man on the other end and his eyes widened as he realised who it was. Jack Crawford. He dropped the phone immediately and crushed it underfoot. 

“I have family here, what are you going to do?” She spoke shakily.

“Of course, you do” Will released her and she nearly collapsed steadying herself grasping the wall.

“Will, what happened to you? The whole of America knows what you did. Jack is coming for you. Is he with you?” 

Will shook his head, he couldn’t focus.

“What did Jack say?”

“Nothing I didn’t have time to say where I was but he’ll have traced the call”

“You mother fu…” He spat

Will tried to contain his anger. 

“You are seriously angry at me? What the hell did I do, you made your choice, you and him. You’re welcome to each other in hell” 

Will could tell she was crying even in the rain. He heard people walking past them looking at them as they did so, so he did the only thing he could think and pressed his lips to hers, for a fraction of a second Will could feel her kiss him back but as the onlookers sniggered on the way past he pulled back. 

“What the fuck do you think you are doing?!” 

Alana shoved him away and started to run down the alley in the direction of the others people. Will caught up to her from behind and whispered “I’m sorry” before knocking her unconscious. He sat her where somebody would see her and kept running down every street until he saw the familiar row of houses, just as he was about to turn down the street he saw a sea of red and blue lights flashing silently outside the house. 

“Get in the car Will” 

Will almost froze as a blacked-out range rover pulled up behind him and he saw Hannibal behind the will call to him from the open passenger window, he placed Charlie in the back of the car, he got in the front and hadn’t realised he was hyperventilating until he was surrounded by the silence of the car. His hands were frozen and he shook furiously. 

“I’m sorry…fuck..I..just went for a walk and then I got turned around and then I saw…”

Hannibal drove steadily until they hit the highway where he took the fast lane. 

“Who did you see?” 

“Alana” 

Hannibal nodded as he took over car after car. “What did you do”

“I hit her, I really hit her Hannibal” 

“You did what you had to, I’ll assume she is okay otherwise?”

“I think so”

“Did anyone else see you?” 

“No” 

Hannibal placed a hand on his thigh and gripped it tightly. “It’s alright Will, here...”

Hannibal handed him a tissue from his coat and flipped down the sun visor to see that there was a small smudge of lipstick gracing his mouth. He scrubbed it off furiously.

“It's not alright, this is my fault” 

“It was expected Will, I told you that, I have planned for this” 

“What am I going to do? She saw me” 

“Depending on the size of the concussion she won’t be much use for weeks”

“Hannibal... she spoke to Jack” 

“So they only have our last known address, that house is completely empty, you can trust me” 

Will nodded.

“There are fresh clothes in the back seat and a blanket” 

Will could not stop shaking, he looked out the window as the scenery changed to flat plains and rural houses. They eventually pulled over and Will changed his clothes and dried Charlie, it was only when he was feeding him did he realise that he was starving. Hannibal retrieved some food from the boot. As he looked around, he had no idea where they were. Hannibal turned on the radio and his heart sunk, the FBI had ordered local police to stop and search cars. Will looked at Hannibal who didn’t meet his eyes. They rejoined the highway in silence but only half an hour later there was a police blockade set up across all six lanes of the highway leaving the state. Will felt physically ill. Hannibal was still silent slowing to a halt in the queue to get through. As the police officers questioned each driver Will grew paler. Hannibal placed his hand over Will’s and he felt instantly calmer even though he wouldn’t look at him. Hannibal reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a handgun that Will had never seen before. He switched the safety off and held it under his jacket. 

“You know nothing Will” Was all Hannibal said. 

“I…What?” 

A knock on Will’s side of the car caused him to swear under his breath. Hannibal turned away looking out his side of the car. He lowered the window slightly but as the officer looked at them there were shots fired behind them and the hoards of officers ducked. Will looked in the mirror as he saw men being dragged from their cars. Will watched as officers pulled bags of white powder from under their wheel arches. An officer waved them through. Hannibal turned the safety of the gun on and put it back in the glove compartment before starting the car again and driving through the barriers. 

Will could only blink as he watched them resume normal traffic on the highway. It was twenty minutes before he could speak, everything had gone to quickly.

“I think I’m going to vomit” He felt himself break out into a hot sweat. 

Hannibal lowered his window, and he was blasted with fresh air. He took deep breaths. He tried to form a coherent sentence. 

“What did you mean ‘I know nothing’?" Will spoke quietly looking at Hannibal. 

“If the day comes where we are not so fortunate, you will tell the FBI that I took you against your will because you were ordered to come after me, I took you out of the equation so they wouldn’t have a lead” 

“Were you at any point going to ask my opinion?” 

“It is what would happen, there is no discussion” Hannibal deadpanned.

Will stared out the window, he was furious. 

“You think I would walk away quietly” 

“You will” 

“Well then you don’t know me after all” 

Will felt exhausted and before long he felt his eyes go heavy. When he awoke, he was still in the car, but he had been covered with a thick blanket which was soft and warm, he looked over at Hannibal who was listening to classical music quietly through the car stereo. He was still on the highway. He sat up and lowered the blanket, he looked behind him to see that Charlie's collar had been clipped into a seatbelt and was fast asleep under a blanket of his own. 

“Thank you” Will whispered.


	14. Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for use of Needles 
> 
> Context   
> (I found a post on a group showing that Hannibal had this journal with the formula in it and somebody had worked out what it meant so i was eager to try and write it in)

“You look tired” Will spoke softly. Hannibal stared at the road ahead and barely acknowledged his concern as he kept driving. “Where are we going?” he pressed again but with no success. Will stared at the dark abbess of the highway. From the corner of his eye, he could see Hannibal’s hand begin to twitch, he lifted his hand from the wheel and flexed it to but to no avail and resumed his tight grip on the steering wheel. Will cautiously reached his hand over and took it from the steering wheel and after a moment Hannibal released his hand and took Will’s, holding their hands on his thigh, rubbing his thumb on the back of Will’s hand slowly. Will felt instantly calm at the touch. 

Will realised they had been driving for at least six hours by the time Hannibal indicated to leave the highway. They drove along a main street which was lively enough with restaurants and bars. Will watched as people spilled out onto the street in a sea of glitter and light. They kept driving until Hannibal stopped at an intersection, taking a right that Will could see led to a hotel.

“Are you sure this is far enough for now?” 

“For now” Was all Hannibal said as they pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, it was a large modern place that looked decent enough, not that Will cared as he could barely keep his eyes open. 

“I think Charlie will have to stay in the car Will” 

Will nodded. “I’ll see to him” 

Hannibal left the car and headed to reception and Will got out and unclipped Charlie from the car and attached his lead. He took him for a walk around the parking lot enjoying the cool air. He made sure Charlie was left with food and water in the car. He saw Hannibal come back with a room key in his hand which he pocketed as he grabbed two small bags from the boot of the car. Will lay out Charlie’s blanket and pet him before shutting the doors. He followed Hannibal into the hotel and towards the elevator in silence. He keyed in the floor. As they reached their room Hannibal opened the door and Will could not help but feel disappointed at the two single beds that were in front of him. Hannibal placed a bag on each bed and sat down on the edge of one of them, he rubbed his face with his hands. Will sat on the bed opposite him. He looked as tired as he felt. 

“Hannibal?” Will asked quietly.

Hannibal looked up and smiled softly.

“Yes Will?” 

“I’m sorry about everything today. If I had just stayed, then none of this would have happened”

Hannibal frowned. “Will, we don’t know that. It was pure chance and I had already given them something to look for which only led them closer to us, its not your fault” 

Will nodded. “Where are we now?” 

“Michigan, it's more of a layover actually. We go to Maine after that” 

Will considered this, the amount of pressure Hannibal was under to plan these moves, he wished he could be of more use. 

“I’m going to shower Will” Hannibal got up and took some clothes from his bag, Will just nodded. As he heard the water start to run, he opened his bag for some fresh clothes when he heard a rustling in the bottom of the bag. There was an envelope with his name on it. He opened it quickly and felt his cheeks flush as he saw the drawing of him, and Charlie neatly tucked inside. He thought it had been lost in the rush. He quickly placed it back in his bag and smiled and took his clothes out. As he lay his clothes down he looked at Hannibal’s bag which had been left open and frowned. There was a brown leather journal tucked in the side which he had never seen before as well as a small, zipped case. 

As he heard the shower turn on he went over and picked the journal up examining the cover. It was merely brown plain leather tied with a small strap. He knew he shouldn’t open it, he placed it back in the bag slowly but found he couldn’t let it go. He was the person who knew the most about Hannibal outside of this room, what could a journal possibly reveal to him that hadn’t already been seen. He looked behind him, he still heard the shower. Before he could convince himself otherwise, he untied the leather and opened it. He flicked through it quickly, there were intricate sketches of animals and people with annotations, observations of behavior and finally, towards the end, Will paused. There were pages and pages of some sort of mathematical formula meticulously written line after line with no explanation. Will frowned and closed the journal putting it back in the bag.

He picked up the case and unzipped it, he felt his blood boil as he was presented with a case for three syringes containing a clear liquid. One was missing and he felt his heart hammer in his chest. He tried to remain calm and pocketed one, zipping the case and placing it back in his bag, he picked the journal back up. He hadn’t noticed the shower stop. 

“Will? What are you doing?” 

Will froze and turned around with the closed journal in his hand. Hannibal had a towel around his torso, water still dripping from his hair.  
Hannibal frowned and held out his hand. Will handed it over. 

“Sorry I…I”

Hannibal held up his hand and Will stayed silent. He tied the journal and walked over placing it back in his bag before going to the bathroom and locking the door. Will sat back down on the bed grabbing the remote and switched on the T.V sighing. As he was absently flicking through channels, he stopped when he heard a familiar voice. Jack was being interviewed outside the main FBI offices. 

“As I said before, Hannibal Lecter has not been in contact since the disappearance of Will Graham but we highly suspect he has been taken against his will and we are certain that he is responsible. Eyewitness reports place their location in Indiana as of last night and as such we are not far behind. Agent Hart is recovering well in hospital as he was held captive for many weeks, evidence suggests that Hannibal Lecter is also responsible, and we are following all lines of inquiry” 

A reporter tried to press for further questions.

“Do you think that Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter are working together?” 

“There will be no further questions at this time” 

Jack was led away by security as he was blasted by questions from every news channel. Will switched the TV off and held his head in his hands. They were closer than he thought. He heard the bathroom door unlock and he pretended to sort through his clothes. Hannibal went to the other bed; he could feel his eyes watching him. He looked up and Hannibal smiled at him, he was dressed in a simple white tshirt and cotton loungepants. Will was amused at how innocent he looked.

“I’m just going to grab a shower too” Will got up.

“Will”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not angry at you” 

Will shook his head. “No, I didn’t think you were, I just...shouldn’t have looked at it”

“Do you want me to explain” 

“No, it’s your… it's private” 

“Well, it was” 

Hannibal laughed as he saw Will’s face drop. “I mean I would have shown you if you had asked”

“oh” 

“Come, I’ll show you” 

Hannibal took his journal from his bag and put the bag on the floor. Will sat next to him as he opened it. 

“I note down what interests me on a particular day but I think this is what you are most interested in”

Will nodded but noticed how Hannibal’s voice had immediately saddened as he reached the end of the journal. 

“I fear you might be angry at me for this, it's quite hard to explain”

“I’m listening” 

“It’s an equation” 

“I figured that” Will smiled.

Hannibal laughed through his nose. “Yes well, its an equation about time” 

Will frowned. “I didn’t realise you liked mathematics” 

“In a sense, its…the equation for reversing time” 

“You mean time travel?” Will tried not to grin. 

“Ridiculous I know, it sounds so childish” 

Hannibal abruptly closed the journal leaving Will even more confused. 

“Why would you need to know how to reverse time? Or travel in time…Hannibal I…” Will stuttered.

Then he realised, the thoughts slotted themselves together like a puzzle. To have the ability to turn back time would suggest that Hannibal Lecter regretted his actions and wanted to change them. Will tried to comprehend this as Hannibal placed the journal in his bag. He looked up to see Will with tears in his eyes. The ability to regret something also suggested an ability to feel empathy and suddenly he wondered where it had all gone so wrong. 

“What would you change?” He spoke quietly. 

Hannibal met his eyes and he realised that Will understood what he meant. 

“Well, if I hadn’t been so reckless, to say the least, we could have had an easier life” 

“We?” 

“Meeting you has never been a regret, Will. You might feel differently”

“Oh, I suppose niether of us knew what would happen but I wouldn't say that” Will looked at the floor.

Hannibal nodded, considering his next words carefully. “However, there is one way that I feel I could in a sense show some remorse” 

Will looked up and shook his head.

“Don’t you dare, You can’t make me go back, you promised you wouldn’t make me go back!”

Will was breathing heavily now, hyperventilating. He stood shaking his head. The syringe felt like a brick in his pocket. 

“Will sit down” 

“No, you would leave me? Again, after all we did, you suddenly care about those people?!” 

“Will!” Hannibal stood up trying to calm him down. 

“You said we would be together, but why would I believe you? God I can’t…, you’re a fucking narcissistic piece of shit and because you’ve had some sort of fucking epiphany, I’m supposed to be taken down with you? Fuck you!” 

“Will listen to me” 

“Listen to you?! You have planned this from the start” Will could feel his heart hammer in his chest with fury, tears on the brink of streaming down his face. 

“Will, the further I take you, the further you are away from being able to return to a life with some sort of future. I can take you around the world thousand times over, but the day will come when someone doesn’t think twice about putting a bullet between your eyes as quickly as mine… and I can’t watch that happen” 

Will saw how Hannibal’s eyes had welled up. 

“Well don’t you think you should have thought about that? What do we do now? When exactly were you going to tell me this?”

“I was trying to hold onto these moments for as long as possible, which was selfish, I just didn’t want to admit to myself what was inevitable”

“You can’t make me do this Hannibal” Will could feel his voice crack.

“You don’t have to” Hannibal soothed. “I can leave you here and put some distance between me and them, you can tell them what I did to you, you'll be let go” 

“Its the easy is it?” Will scoffed in disbelief.

Hannibal smiled and reached his hand up to gently hold Will’s face. 

“I’m sorry my darling”

“So that’s it? You are giving up? I don’t even recognise you anymore” 

Hannibal smiled as a tear rolled down his cheek.“That’s precisely the point Will” 

Will suddenly felt drowsy, he tried to grab something to steady himself backing away from Hannibal.

“Will, lie down” Hannibal approached him taking his hand gently.

"Hannibal? what have you done?" 

Will tried to focus but the room had begun to spin. He looked down and saw a needle being removed from his arm. He shook his head trying to focus, he pulled out the syringe from his pocket as Hannibal lay him down on the bed, his limbs feeling like lead. He lifted the syringe and as Hannibal tried to adjust him, stabbed him in the side of his neck, his face mere inches from his. 

Hannibal looked down at him his eyes going wide. 

“Will? What did you do?” 

“You were always one for underestimating me” He slurred as his vision became spotty, he watched Hannibal remove the needle from his neck and try to stand up, swaying from side to side until he could no longer keep his eyes open. 

…

That evening…

Will woke up slowly, his eyes taking a while to adjust. He could feel he was still lying on the bed and as he looked around, he was still in the hotel room. He sat up slowly rubbing his eyes. He could see a figure lying in front of him on the floor and he remembered what he did. 

“Hannibal?” 

He tried to stand but his legs were too shaky, he shook his head trying to shake the fog from it. He slipped off the bed and crawled over to Hannibal shaking him, he heard him groan and Will breathed a sigh of relief. He saw Hannibal come round, opening his eyes slowly.

“Are you happy now?” Will spat.

“Will?” Hannibal sat up groggily.

“You’ve outdone yourself this time” Will spoke angrily.

“Will, what did you do?” 

“You cannot just expect me to leave quietly”

“I can and I do,” Hannibal said moving slowly to stand shaking slightly as he moved to sit on the bed.

Will got up steadying himself on the chair by the table in the room and took a seat.

“Will, you could have killed me”

“Seriously?” 

“Injecting a needle with that amount of force could have punctured an artery, I am medically trained, you are not”. Will huffed, his vision was returning to normal.

“Again you are only concerned about yourself, how could I let myself trust you”

“This was the easiest way to avoid hurting you” Hannibal spoke matter of fatly. 

“Nothing is easy about this and you only mean you wouldn’t be around to endure the consequences as usual” 

“You won’t let me give you a life Will” 

“My life is here, you told me that, what changed?” 

“There are only so many times we can do this” 

“So what? Trying is better than nothing at all” 

“We’ve tried a hundred times Will” 

“And we’ve done alright”

“Will, this is not ‘doing alright’. There is no arrest warrant anymore, its shoot on sight” 

Will paused. “I don’t care” 

Hannibal laughed. “That’s the problem, we follow each other blindly, its an addiction” 

“Don’t you think you should have thought about this before you broke me out of prison” 

Hannibal smiled. “This goes way beyond that Will, I won’t let you kill yourself over me” 

“You think I want that for you either? You’re such a martyr”

Hannibal shook his head.“Get some rest Will, I won't discuss it anymore” 

"I'm going to see to my dog" 

Will left the hotel room quickly to feed and water Charlie as well as let him walk around the parking lot. As he returned to the room, he saw Hannibal was eyeing him from his bed darkly. Will would not be intimidated by him any longer.

"Will, come here"

"Why? you've said all there is to say" 

"Come here." He repeated.

Will stayed put watching Hannibal take a shaking breath. He stood and walked over meeting Will at the door and pressed him backwards until his back hit it with a thump.

"How you test me Will Graham" He spoke into his ear, causing Will to shiver.

Will nodded. Hannibal leaned in slowly and pressed his lips gently to his, Will slowly reciprocated kissing him deeper. Will could feel his chilled body warm-up and his cheeks flush as Hannibal grasped his torso causing him to moan softly. Hannibal moved slowly to his neck biting and sucking his flesh making him gasp and groan at the pain. 

Hannibal smiled at how breathless Will was getting, he pulled his shirt over his head and started to kiss his chest so slowly that Will found himself pulling his hair in frustration. 

"I hate you" Will moaned.   
…

The next day... 

“So where are you taking me?” Will smiled.

“It’s a surprise…My way of an apology” Hannibal smiled back. Will was excited to see more of the country as they started to notice the scenery change to thick forest and lakes. Will opened the car window to the smell of fresh pines and damp air. They continued until they hit the head of a trail.

“This is beautiful” Will admired as the sun-dappled through the trees, he could hear running water and bird song. Hannibal gathered some things and placed them in a bag which he handed to Will which he took as well as Charlie’s lead. Charlie wagged his tail as he explored the head of the trail. Hannibal joined them as they began walking. 

“I thought you would like it, some peace and quiet for a change” Hannibal spoke as they followed the track through thick forest.

“Hannibal?” 

Will felt his anxiety return as he thought about last night and the chaos that had ensued. 

“Yes Will?”

“Last night, I’m not trying to make this worse for us, I just believe that there is a way out for both of us” 

Hannibal nodded but Will could tell he wasn't convinced.

“I know, my methods are extreme, but your safety is what I care most about, and I will do anything to ensure that” 

“I know but you don’t have to ignore your own needs, I want to do this with you” 

Hannibal said nothing more and they walked in silence, the only noise was from their footprints on the dead leaves beneath them. Will touched the trees as he went along feeling the rough bark under his fingertips as well as examining peculiar insects. Will felt they had been walking for an age when the woods finally opened up onto a clearing which looked as though it had been a campsite at some point as large logs littered the grounds and there was evidence of a fire pit.

“Camping?” Will remarked raising an eyebrow. 

“Well not quite but I thought we could at least spend some time together here” 

Will smiled. 

Hannibal tried to return the smile, but Will saw him falter.

“Hannibal? What’s the matter?” 

“Are you cold Will?” 

Will shook his head frowning, he hated when he changed the subject. Will sat down and opened his bag, he found a lighter and some dry wood around the pit to start the fire, Hannibal watched him with intrigue as he took a seat on one of the logs. He let Charlie off to explore. 

“Who taught you about the outdoors Will?” 

“My parents actually, we would go camping just about every week as well as fishing” 

Will felt happy as the memories resurfaced, it was calming to talk about his interests. 

“Where is your favourite place?” Hannibal sounded genuinely interested which surprised him. Will grinned as the fire roared in front of him and he sat next to Hannibal pleased with his work. 

“Well, my dad took me to Zion National Park to climb Angels Landing and I’ll tell you I practically cried the entire way up but the views, that will stick with for a lifetime” 

Hannibal smiled broadly. “Sounds like you were a happy child” 

“Overall, I guess” 

Will thought it was a bizarre observation, but Hannibal was like that, always unexpected.

“When did you last see them?”

“Who? My parents?” 

Hannibal nodded. Will’s face fell.

“They died a while ago, before I was lecturer” 

“I’m sorry Will” 

Will tried to keep the conversation light. “It was a long time ago, shit happens”

“Indeed,” Hannibal remarked. 

“What about you?” 

Hannibal’s eyebrows raised. “Ah, it's rather complicated on my side I’m afraid. There aren’t enough hours in the day”   
Will frowned but nodded. It was clear he didn’t want to talk about it. 

“Hannibal you don’t have to pretend that everything is fine with me, I know it isn’t”

“Did your father teach you how to fish” 

Will sighed but answered anyway.

“Yes, we started when I was very young, I just used to hold the bait boxes and watch him until I was old enough to hold a rod” Will laughed as he remembered when his father had caught a fish only for it to slip back into the river.

Hannibal smiled. “It's good you have those memories of your parents, they sound like good people” 

“They were” 

“Do you have a favourite place?” Will asked cautiously.

“Oh, er I suppose…” Hannibal fumbled over his words, Will had never seen him do that before, it worried him. Will watched as Hannibal thought, he guessed nobody had asked him such a personal question before.

“Italy will always be a soft spot for me, but Mont Saint-Michel is beautiful, it’s an island with these huge grand buildings and when it is lit up at night, I’ve never seen anything as stunning.” 

Will smiled. “Maybe you can show me” 

Hannibal nodded, “maybe” He said quietly. 

Will sighed and leaned on his shoulder taking his hand, watching as the flames leaped and danced in front of them. It was hypnotising. He could see the sun was starting to set and it cast a ray of orange and purple across the sky. 

“Will?” 

“Yes?” 

“Would you wait here a while? I need to collect something from the car” 

Will sat up. “Do you need any help?” 

“No, I won’t be very long, just promise me you will wait here?” 

“Okay” Will heard Hannibal’s voice falter at the end, he took his hand. 

“Is everything alright?” He said concerned. 

“Of course, darling” Hannibal turned and placed a kiss on Will’s lips, pausing longer than he should of Will thought. He could feel sadness radiate from him. 

“Don’t be long” Will spoke softly. Hannibal smiled and got up. He let go of their hands and watched Hannibal disappear along the trail.   
…  
He felt uneasy, they had walked for a least an hour from the car and Will wasn’t entirely sure of the way back as darkness began to sink in. He called Charlie and kept him close as he tried to keep himself occupied with stoking the fire. 

Will knew it had been at least three hours since Hannibal had left as the sun had gone down. He could hear nothing apart from the odd bird screeching in the distance. Charlie began to whine. He stroked his head slowly trying to calm him and himself. 

He jumped at the snap of a branch in front of him and was relieved when he could finally see a figure walk towards him. 

“Hannibal where the…” 

A flashlight was shone in his direction and Will realised that it was not Hannibal. The woods around him lit up in a sea of LED flashlights and uniforms as Will recognised the figure that had now entered the clearing. He heard a gun being cocked and he froze. Charlie began barking at them. 

“Will? Are you hurt?” 

He blinked under the sudden onslaught of brightness. Jack Crawford stood mere meters away from him pointing a handgun at him. Slowly, it dawned on him that he was utterly and completely alone.


	15. Begin again

Will watched as Jack entered the room with two other officers, he was no stranger to an interview room. He wasn’t handcuffed which he thought bizarre, perhaps they were trying to keep the situation as ‘friendly’ as possible. 

“Will before this go on record is there anything you want to say to me?” 

Will shook his head, he had accepted his fate. Jack sighed and pressed the recorder for the interview to begin.

“For the record please can the occupants of this room state their names for the record”

“Jack Crawford” 

“Joseph Hart” 

“Frank Johnson” 

Will froze as he recognised the names of the other officers. He eyed the man sitting next to Jack, he looked perfectly normal, no scars of bruising, if he was alone he would have asked what Hannibal had supposedly done to him himself. He recognised Johnson sitting on the other side by the way he was smirking at him. 

“Will, for the record how do you know Hannibal Lecter?” 

Will couldn’t hide his annoyance at the pointless question. 

“He was my therapist” 

“Was?”

“Yes”

“What changed Will?”

Will shook his head, Jack was deliberately trying to sabotage him, he knew all this.

“Conflict of interest, it no longer became suitable that I should see him in a professional capacity” 

“Why?”

Will tried not to roll his eyes.

“He was very persuasive and manipulated me, is that the kind of thing you want to hear?” 

“So, you understand why you are here talking to me?” 

“Not really”

Jack shook his head, if this was the last conversation they were going to have, he wanted to be as petty as possible. 

“It is our understanding that you and Dr Hannibal Lecter’s relationship became inappropriate, care to elaborate?” 

Will looked at the table, trying to bore a hole into it with his eyes. He shook his head.

“When did Hannibal Lecter approach you in Brooklyn?” 

“Wouldn’t you know that considering I was under, oh what did you call it again? Constant surveillance?” 

Jack cleared his throat and Will saw he was clenching his first. 

“Did you come into contact with Hannibal Lecter when you were in Brooklyn before you were removed by him!?” 

“You tell me” Will repeated, he watched as Jack’s face grew sterner. 

“Will if you do not cooperate, you will be put under arrest for perverting the course of justice, I suggest you rethink your statements” 

Will huffed.“Once” Was all he said.

“And were you aware that you were to report to us immediately should he make contact” 

“Jack jesus christ I saw him and that was it, he vanished” Which was partly true Will thought.

Jack sighed but nodded as he took notes. 

“Why did you not report to us?”

“I wasn’t sure it was him, he was extremely far away, I couldn’t make him out” 

“And the second time where you were...kidnapped?” 

Will paused and thought on his feet. He could work with kidnap.

“I was walking my dog in the park drinking coffee, I felt like I was being followed but before I could return to the apartment everything went black”

“And that is all you remember?” 

Will nodded. 

Jack looked as if he wanted to press him further but sat back as the officers spoke to him quietly. 

“Agent Hart says he cannot account for a least a month since he took the picture of Hannibal Lecter, did your symptoms concur with this? Do you remember where you have been for the last two months?” 

“No, its very foggy. I suppose he wanted to take me out of the picture like your agent so you were left with no leads” 

“Why then did he leave you in a forest in the middle of the country?” 

“To give himself the chance to form another identity in another country. I suppose he saw that I had reached my usefulness to him.” Will spoke through gritted teeth.

“And that is all you remember?” 

“Yes” 

“We performed blood tests on you and your blood still had evidence of a strong sedative so the lab has concluded that your story matches up. I wanted to confirm it myself but regrettably, you have also reached your ‘usefulness’ to us, Will. My bosses have decided that Interpol will take over and we are done here as they believed he has once again left the country.” 

Will’s mouth fell open. “So that’s it?” 

Jack nodded, “I’m afraid so, you have no way of knowing where he is, and neither will we for months so we are back to square one” 

“Jack…” 

“Please Will, we are finished here” 

The agents left, Will could hear them talking about him as they left and he rolled his eyes. Jack was about to get up but Will wasn't finished. 

“What happens to me?” 

Jack wouldn't look up at him.

“As some sort of compensation for your ordeal as the FBI takes some of the responsibility, unbelievably you will be given back your house and any possessions in our storage. This is not from me by the way, somebody must be watching out for you. You are also cleared of all charges as you were deemed unstable and manipulated by Hannibal Lecter and your case has been thrown out. Consider yourself free to go. Oh, and you still have some friends it seems, Alana Bloom dropped the charges and you will be placed under witness protection as agreed”. 

With that Jack gathered his things and left the room hanging his head in exhaustion. Will sat in disbelief; he could feel his eyes well up as another officer came to escort him from the room. 

...

6 months later...

As he pulled into the gravel track towards his new home, Will actually felt a sense of excitement, his car was full of what little possessions he had as well as Charlie in the passenger seat. The small two floor farmhouse was surrounded by unused land and so what little money he had gotten from his small house in Virginia went a lot further in the south than a city. He opened the windows of his car and watched as Charlie stuck his head out of the window. The fields were golden with rows and rows of wheat. As he pulled into the front of the house, Will admired the building that had so much history. It needed a lot of work, but he didn’t care, he was just happy to be alone. He unclipped Charlie and got out to open his door. He grabbed the keys from his pocket and slotted them into the door and unlocked it, turning the handle. The floorboards were falling apart and the walls were peeling but he didn’t care, Charlie bounded through the door and up the stairs. He followed behind sighing as there was only a small bed in the room but he thought it was still better than nothing. The walls had old floral wallpaper and aged avocado painted bathrooms, he was simply grateful that it had a shower to be getting on with. There was a small kitchen with dusty pink surfaces which he grimaced. The curtains in each room had a thick layer of dust. 

As he collected the last of his possessions from the car and dotted them in each room he found something at the bottom of the box amongst the paperwork. He opened it and his heart sunk. He unfolded a drawing that no longer brought him joy like it once did. It had been crumpled up and folded so many times that the once beautiful lines were fading. He stuffed it back in the envelope and threw all the paperwork in a kitchen drawer. He began unloading boxes of the most useful things until he reached the boxes with the minimal tools he would need to do the house. It was a big job but he had no need to rush.

The next weeks were spent gutting out rotten fixtures, stripping the wallpaper and replacing broken lightbulbs. Keeping busy kept him sane and so did having some sort of purpose. The walls were stripped back completely and as Will looked around, beads of sweat dripping off of him he wasn’t entirely sure how he had made it this far. He grabbed a beer from the fridge and went to sit on the crumbling porch as the sun hammered down on the surrounding land. A gentle breeze wafted through his hair as he took a sip of cool beer and suddenly he didn’t care how he got there, merely that he had survived to accomplish it.   
…

Spring of the following year...

“That looks like hard work!” Will almost fell off his ladder as he heard someone yell behind him. He was finishing the outside of the house just before the summer storms set in. He turned at the intrusion, he hadn’t spoken to anyone for a least a year. He looked down and saw there was a very petite blonde woman standing in a delivery uniform next to a small van, he was surprised he hadn’t heard it. 

“erm yeah I guess, can I help you?” 

“Are you Alex?” 

Will remembered the new identity all of sudden, he hadn’t been anywhere to need it.

“Yeah?” 

“We’ve got a load of stuff here that you ordered a while ago but it had to be held or some shit before it could be released” 

Will smiled at the bold southern voice that came out from such a small person. He got down from the ladder.

“This place looks amazing, I used to play here as a kid with my friends, there’s a huge river just down past that field if you haven’t noticed” Will hadn’t noticed. She watched her admire the freshly painted windowsills that were a deep navy blue, they stood out on the bright white of the outside walls. 

“I’d happily show you sometime”

Will smiled politely. 

“Yeah maybe” 

“But I’m busy right now, I just need your signature” 

Will laughed at her honesty, it felt nice to be able to interact with another person. She had a kind face with tanned skin and her uniform was covered in mud, for a delivery driver she certainly fit the part. Will took the clipboard from her and signed his name, careful that it was a mere scribble that wasn’t recognisable. Will noticed how her face was splattered with freckles and her blonde hair was tied under her baseball cap. The women eyed the signature carefully and laughed.

“Thanks, its Casey by the way” 

“Well thank you Casey” 

“No problem, see you around man” 

With that, she turned on her heel and went back to the van. Will grinned as she waved at him and turned around in the van narrowly missing his porch. 

...

Summer...

“My father lived just down the road from here and before he died we would spend summer after summer playing it was amazing” 

Will watched as the river drifted by lazily. They shared lemonade from a flask as the summer sun was high in the sky. Will looked up however and he could tell a storm was due soon as the breeze picked up and the air was heavy. He could see Casey shaking in her thin uniform. He undid his jacket and handed her it. Charlie was chasing a stray butterfly in between the rocks lining the river. 

“God, I thought this only happened in movies” She laughed taking the jacket.

“How long until your break is up?”

“As long as I want, currently I’m lost in the woods”

Will grinned. “Is that so?” 

“Yes, and a kind stranger is giving me directions” 

She grinned shaking her head at Will.

…

Autumn...

“So what do you do Alex? your mail is extremely boring and uninformative”   
Will’s face fell.

“Relax man! I mean I sometimes see who’s sent it, I don’t read it” 

Will relaxed. “Well I’m on a sort of break from work at the minute, that’s why I bought this place” 

“Ah, you’re one of those” she grinned. 

“Those?” Will raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing man, you ever get lonely here?” 

“Not really” 

Will saw Casey’s face falter for a fraction of a second and he felt bad, he tried to lighten the mood but she was already walking back to her van. 

“Casey I didn’t mean that, I mean because I’m used to my own company it doesn’t bother me, I really enjoy the time we see each other” 

“Sure man, I get it, I gotta get back to work anyway so I’ll be seeing you”

“But you never gave me my mail” 

Casey only smiled and shook her head as she got in her van and drove away. When he realised what she meant he swore under his breath, he used to be able to read people better.

...

It was at least a month before Will heard the tell-tale sound of a van coming up the track to his farm, he went onto the porch, the last thing that had been painted, and watched as the van came up the track and parked outside. Charlie bolted out the door to greet her. 

Casey slipped out of the cab. “Hey I get a welcoming party now, I’ve never had one of those before” She smiled, “Hey Charlie, here you wanna biscuit? you know where I keep them don’t you?” She scratched Charlie’s head and tossed him a biscuit from her pocket.

She handed Will a small envelope which Will frowned at, he never got mail like this.

“Read that when I’m gone ya hear?” Will could see her blush slightly as she got back into the van and drove away. He opened the envelope and smiled, she had left a phone number and a picture of her in a bikini winking. Will shook his head, she was bold. 

As the evening drew in, he saw himself eyeing the landline phone pacing until he finally picked up the receiver and froze, the last time he had even thought about another woman was years ago, she was attracted to him and if he was honest it was mutual. Nobody was going to tell him not to, any fragments of a previous life were destroyed and he was entitled to be happy. He had to remind himself that. He punched in the numbers and the phone rang for only a second before it was answered.

“Hello?” 

“Er Casey?” 

“Holy shit, you actually rang”

“Yeah..?”

“Shit I never expected you to actually do it” Will could hear her laughing and he smiled.

“Well, what are you doing tonight?” Will tread gently and was not entirely sure where this was going. 

“Nothing…you got somewhere in mind?” She giggled.

Will tried to come up with something she thought would be remotely interesting.

“I’ve still not really seen much of the land, you know, if you wanna show me your favourite thing to do?” Will wasn't exactly the romantic type and he winced as he waited for a reply. It was a second before she answered. 

“Alrighty, meet me in an hour outside?” 

“Sure, drive safe”

“Always”

Will put the phone down and ran a hand through his hair, he went to take a shower and found himself staring at his wardrobe, he used to enjoy dressing well, it was encouraged in an another lifetime. He grabbed a casual forest green shirt and jeans. He heard a car coming up the driveway and he put some boots on, checking that Charlie was still asleep on the sofa. An old jeep pulled up into the driveway which he didn’t recognise.

“Alex! Hey” 

Will smiled and waved, instead of the usual uniform Casey was wearing a cream jumper and skinny jeans, she was carrying a crate of beer which she was struggling to get out of the car, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders. 

“Do you want a hand?” 

“No it's cool” She grinned at the edge of the porch steps.

“Are you not gonna invite me in then?” 

“Sure, sorry” Will spluttered which caused her to laugh. He took the crate off of her and lead her to the kitchen, her boots sounding loud in the otherwise empty house. 

“This is real nice Alex, you’re very talented, this place was a bombsite last time I saw it” She admired the soft white walls and brick fireplace which he had restored. She ran her hands along the deep burgundy antique leather sofas as she followed him to the new open plan kitchen. 

“Thank you, so what do you wanna do?”

“Oh, I’ve got a few ideas, I need a drink first” 

Will grinned and got out a couple of beers from the fridge replacing them with the ones Casey brought. They sat on the sofa and talked about everything and nothing at the same time, Will noticed how her eyes lit up when she talked about her friends or her interests and he was just happy to be having this moment. 

“So where are your family Alex?”

Will stiffened at that.

“Oh, shit I’m sorry, I didn’t mean nothing by it…” 

“No don't be, I just don’t really have any at this point"

“Have you ever been with someone recently” 

Will was not surprised at the question; Casey was renowned for her brutal honesty.

“Not recently, turns out it wasn’t mutual”

“Damn, no kids?” 

Will shifted uncomfortably and Casey reached her hand over, taking his, her skin was so soft Will thought. 

“No, it never really happened for me, there was a time when I thought I would, but it all ended rather suddenly” 

“Fuck man, that’s awful” 

Will shrugged. “Its life” 

“Do you still want kids?” 

Will had never thought about it, he was never in one place long enough. 

“Maybe, it’s a big thing you know, bringing life into this world” 

Casey nodded sipping her beer. 

Will was acutely aware that he was not asking her anything. 

“What about you?” 

“Oh yeah I always liked the idea of being a mom, I’m from a big family so it was what I was used to but I’ve never been blessed that way with kids. Mom suffered with the whole baby blues thing so it kind of put me off” She laughed softly but Will could tell there was a great sadness there, a lifetime of disappointment, he recognised it in himself. “Shit sorry I’m not trying to scare you off, I just like talking to you, you actually listen” She blurted out, squeezing his hand gently. 

Will smiled and finished his beer. “I feel the same. Another?” 

“Yeah thanks” she handed him the bottle and he went to the fridge. 

“So, what is your favourite thing to do here?” Will asked as he returned. 

Casey smiled as she took the beer from him. 

“I've got loads but I’ll stick to the top hits” 

She grinned as she left her beer on the coffee table. Charlie got up at the disturbance and followed her. Will saw her run off into the field around the back of the house. He followed to watch her.

“Okay ready!?, go up to the roof!” She shouted as she ran back and forth with Charlie in the field of long grasses.  
Will went back in the house beer in hand and went up to the small balcony he had attached to the main bedroom and opened the double doors and looked down. One by one tiny lights floated towards the sky in the path of where Casey and Charlie ran until the whole field was covered in a million green dots that looked like the stars.

“Fireflies” Will whispered and broke out into a grin. 

“Ain’t this just beautiful?” Will turned around as Casey came up behind him breathless. 

“Very”

She leaned on his shoulder watching as Charlie chased and tried to catch the millions of fireflies.

“There’s a…” Casey was stopped in his tracks as Will turned and pressed her against the railing of the balcony and placed a kiss on her cheek. Even in the dark, he could see her blush.

“You missed” Casey whispered as he was mere inches from her face.

“Hmm?” 

Casey pressed her lips to his, Will could not help himself and lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his hips causing her to burst out laughing. He continued to kiss her as he brought her into the bedroom and lay her on his bed kissing her neck which left her breathless. She pulled at Will’s shirt and he took it off. 

“Are you sure?” Will asked cautiously. 

“God yes” She smiled.


	16. Raw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler!  
> (Warning for minor character death)

Will watched as Charlie waited on the porch for Casey to arrive like every morning but he knew she would not be back. It had been nearly a year since they last saw each other, Will had phoned and phoned, inquired about her address, and found nothing. He wondered if something awful had happened, that is what kept him up most nights. Just as quickly as it had started it had disintegrated before him. He sat on the porch with a coffee and watched as the sun rose slowly. 

When the phone began to ring he thought he was imagining it until Charlie got up to see where it was coming from. He sprinted to the phone grabbing it from its stand.

“Hello?!” 

“Alex? I need you to listen to me carefully” 

“Casey? where are you?” Will thought he could hear sirens in the background. 

“Look I don’t have time and I’m so sorry I left without saying anything but you got me pregnant and I knew if my mom finds out she would take the baby as hers and I don’t have anyone to ask and I know you didn’t want kids but I can’t let them take her into care to adopted out and you’re her father if I name you as the father then legally I’ll sign her over. I can’t let them take her…” Will could hear she was crying. 

“Casey, where are you?” 

“It doesn’t matter, will you take her? she’s yours” 

Will tried to process what was happening, he gripped the phone so hard he thought it would break under the force.

“Of course, I’ll take her”

“I don’t know when I can come back but until my parents lay off, I don’t have any other option” 

“Hey, it's alright, are you sure I can’t come and get you?” 

“Best not, you don’t want to meet my family, pathetic isn’t it”

“Don’t be stupid, what do you need me to do?”

“I’ll legally sign her over to you and child services will bring her, I’m sorry Will” 

“Don’t you dare apologise, it’ll work out, just try and keep in touch” 

“I will don’t let her forget me”

Will could feel tears run down his face.

“Of course, not” 

The phone call ended, and Will did not realize he had stopped breathing, he clutched his chest and took a seat trying to calm himself down. He tried to process everything, he tried to phone back but the call failed. 

…

Will tried his best with what was provided to him to make the house somewhat baby-friendly. He still couldn’t comprehend what was happening, he had been visited numerous times by social services establishing whether the baby could be left with, they had agreed as long as he agreed to be evaluated every few months, he knew they were judging him, he heard the hushed tones or them disagreeing that a baby should never be left with their father instead of their mother. But he ignored them, he knew he was capable. He looked down at the wooden crib in front of him and smiled. He heard a car come up the drive and he tried to steady his hands as they shook. 

He missed Casey and the warmth she brought everywhere she went; the days went by excruciatingly slowly now. 

He opened the door just as the car pulled up and two stern women left the car, one approached him while the other women took out a car seat and Will’s heart lurched.

“Alex Thompson?” 

“Y..yes”

The lady nodded and the other brought over the carrier. Will looked down at the tiny bundle of cream blankets and at its center was a tiny baby, her hands grasping a tiny bear in both hands. He stared in disbelief at how perfect she was, her features that of her mothers and the wisps of brown hair from him.

“I’m afraid there was an accident last night Mr. Thompson” 

Will looked at the woman, his stomach dropping.

“I think we should put her inside” She nodded towards the house.

"What accident? Who had an accident?" 

“Please sir, we can discuss this further inside” 

The lady handed him the carrier reluctantly and Will carefully took it upstairs. His hands shook as he undid the carrier and held her in his arms, he thought he would break her just by touching her. She made tiny squeals in her sleep and Will felt his eyes well up as he put her gently in her crib. He slowly went back downstairs to find the women looking very solemn.

“Mr Thompson?”

“Yes, what’s happened?” He asked desperately. 

“Miss Casey Smith was involved in a domestic assault last night, her parents found her and phoned the police, her husband has a warrant for his arrest" 

Will suddenly felt very faint.

“Her…husband? She wasn’t married” 

“It is not our job to pass on judgment Mr. Thompson but Casey was living with her parents to escape him, he found out she was pregnant and…” 

Will tried to swallow and shook his head.

“She’s...she's in the hospital?” He mumbled. 

“I’m very sorry, they did what they could, she passed away, her injuries were too extensive” 

“Mr Thompson, you are your daughter's father and legal guardian, we need to establish whether you can look after her”

“You aren’t taking her anywhere, Casey wanted me to look after her” Will tried to sound stern but his voice cracked.

“We understand that but…”

“You’ve done your job, thank you for bringing her to me, that’s all I needed, or was there something else?” His voice shook. 

“Her parents have requested you don’t attend the funeral but are welcome to visit her when everything has settled”

Will frowned. "Funeral? what..wait" His voice trailed off as he found he could barely understand what they were saying.

“What’s her name? the baby? 

“Ah, Casey requested that you choose the name before she passed away, as a thank you for taking her” 

"I don't need thanks..." Will spoke slowly. 

Will did not remember them leaving, he went back upstairs slowly. He stood outside his bedroom where the crib was and found he couldn't enter. He stood frozen to the floor as the enormity of his situation fell around him. He pushed the door of the bedroom open, a slither of light from the hall illuminating the crib. The baby cried grasping around her for company. Will moved forward until he sat on the floor of his bedroom, eye level with the baby in the crib. 

All he could think was how terrified she must have been, and he was not there to help. He held his head in his hands and cried furiously yet silently to avoid disturbing her. 

He rubbed at his face, trying to catch his breath. The sorrow he felt was soon replaced with an anger he had not felt in years. He reached his hands through the small gaps in the crib and put his finger to her hand which she clasped slowly. 

...

Six months later…

“Charlie, she is too small to play with you yet, she can barely hold her own bottle” Will laughed as Charlie nudged his favorite soft in front of the baby who sat smiling on the floor in front of the fireplace, Will grabbed it and threw it into the kitchen as the baby let out a squeal of excitement watching Charlie thunder through the room after his toy. 

“Isn’t Charlie funny huh?” Will scooped her up from in front of the fireplace. “It’s bedtime little one” 

He walked with her up the stairs, he was exhausted himself but every time she smiled at him it was worth it, she was exactly like her mother. Her brown hair was curly like his, but her features were identical to hers, her freckles that were painted across her cheeks were just like her mom. There were bad days, he blamed himself but as soon as he heard her cry, he knew she needed her and it was enough to pull him back into reality. 

As he lay her down, she turned herself almost immediately. It was the first time she had shown an interest in crawling and Will’s heart swelled. He could tell she was desperate to get moving. 

“We will practice more tomorrow baby” He lay her on her back and watched as her eyes drifted steadily asleep. He stroked her cheek gently as she slowly fell asleep. He switched on the radio in the bedroom as he knew it helped to keep her calm.It had taken him months to think of a name but the more he thought about it, the more obvious it became to him that she should be named after the person who loved her just as much as he did. As he turned on the radio he heard a name that sent a shiver up his spine. He frantically tried to get a proper signal. 

\---Lecter was fatally shot outside the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy where he was being investigated by Interpol for a series of crimes including serial murder and cannibalism. The FBI have been notified and the body will be removed for private cremation...---

Will felt numb as the radio lost signal. He heard Casey begin to cry as he realised he had dropped the radio, smashing it to pieces on the wooden floor. He immediately went to her side picking her up and holding her to his chest. 

He wished more than anything for Hannibal to perform a miracle just so that he could have the pleasure of putting him in the grave himself.

Two years later...

Will sipped a beer beside the fireplace watching as Casey was stroking Charlie. He admired how gentle he was even as he got older, he would wait for her every morning while she got dressed and help her up and down the stairs. 

“Daddy, will you read me a story? The one about mummy and the fireflies again?” 

“Course baby come here” 

Will watched as she stood up slowly and walked over to him trying to steady herself on Charlie. He picked her up and sat her on her knee. He could feel a lump form in his throat, but he kept her mother’s memory alive every day, her picture hung above Casey’s bed next to his, and everyday he would tell her about her, like he promised. 

“Daddy I can’t find my bear” Casey frowned looking around the room. 

“Oh dear, has Charlie hidden it again?” Will sighed, brushing her hair from her eyes.

She shook her head and he got up and took her to all the usual spaces and started rummaging around in drawers thinking he had tidied it away by accident. He rummaged around cupboards and boxed one handed until he opened one of the kitchen drawers and found the bear squished at the bottom.

“There we are sweetheart” He handed her the bear, and she took it gratefully.

“Thank you, daddy,” She hugged him, as he struggled to try and close the drawer with one hand he noticed something jamming it at the back. He pulled it out, wincing as he heard a ripping sound. 

“What’s that daddy?” 

“I don’t know baby; shall we sit for storytime?” 

She nodded wrapping her arm around his neck and nuzzling into his jumper, she was still small for two and a half, but Will was glad in a way that he was still able to lift her for hours on end. As he grabbed a blanket from the sofa and draped it over her shoulder, he began her favorite story. As he did so he unfolded the paper and froze at the drawing of him and Charlie. Casey heard the rustling and looked at the picture.

“That looks like you daddy” 

Will smiled. “It is baby, and Charlie when he was a puppy”

“Can we put it next to mummy?” 

Will paused but he hardly ever refused her and nodded. He unfolded the paper, careful not to rip it further, and put it on the fire place below her mother’s picture.   
Will had not realised he had fallen asleep until he felt a draft hit his bare arm as the last of the fire went out. He gently stood up with Casey who was also fast asleep, he whistled on Charlie to follow and he lead the way up the stairs. He lay her in her bed gently covering her with her blanket and bear, he told Charlie to stay before heading back downstairs to stoke the fire. 

It was when he went into the kitchen, he was acutely aware that something was watching him. He flicked on all the lights inside and outside the house, but it was eerily empty. He retrieved his shot gun from under the stairs and loaded it before grabbing a flashlight and heading outside. He stood on the porch and shined it over each field and found nothing. He switched the porch lights off and returned to the fire inside sighing, laying his gun on the floor. 

“Do you need some help?” 

Will paused and grasped his gun. He turned to see Hannibal standing in the doorway. Will aimed the gun at his head. He raised his hands. Will saw red as he moved away from the fire to stand directly in front of him.


	17. Everlasting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments everyone I've had a blast writing this and I hope you enjoy reading! I appreciate every one of you. <3  
> We are nearing the end but I hope I do it justice!

“Don’t you fucking dare come near me” 

Hannibal stayed put and lowered his hands. 

“Will, let me explain"

“Get on your fucking knees” 

Hannibal obliged looking up at him. Will stared him down, rage threatening to spill over.

“Will” 

Will pressed the gun into his forehead and put his finger on the trigger, grasping the gun tightly to his shoulder. 

“Daddy? I’m thirsty” 

Will froze. 

“Daddy?”

“Go upstairs baby, daddy will be there in a minute” 

Hannibal glanced behind him and he pressed the gun harder into his skull. 

“Who’s that man Daddy?”

Will closed his eyes in defeat, taking the gun away and unloading it.

“One of daddy’s friends darling, come on its bedtime” 

“What are you doing daddy? Is he here to play?” 

He saw Hannibal quirk a small smile and he shot him a dark look. Hannibal stood and Will stood in front of him blocking his way. His back to Casey. Hannibal looked behind him smiling. 

“Hello, what’s your name?” he asked. 

“Don’t you dare speak to her” Will spat. 

“Daddy says not to talk to strangers” Casey walked forward and hid behind Will’s legs, he picked her up turning away from Hannibal.

“Well, your daddy is a very clever man, why don’t you ask him whether you can speak to me?” 

Casey looked at Will. “Darling its bedtime, we can talk about it tomorrow” 

“Daddy, is he one of mommy’s friends?” 

Will took in a sharp breath; this was getting too much. 

“I bet your mommy is very pretty” Hannibal spoke quietly.

Casey beamed at that and pointed to the picture of her on the wall. Will could feel his eyes well up.

“Where is your mommy sweetheart?” Hannibal asked softly. 

“She lives with the fireflies outside; would you like to see?” 

Hannibal looked at Will curiously and smiled. 

“I would love that very much, but your daddy says it’s your bedtime” Hannibal spoke softly.

“Daddy, can we go see mommy?” 

Will could feel his lip tremble, he bit it in anger at Hannibal but nodded. “Sure baby, we can see mommy whenever you want” 

She placed Casey down who went to the stairs, Will could hear Charlie walking down the stairs to greet her, he growled when he saw Hannibal.

“Some things haven’t changed” Hannibal quipped but Will stayed silent. 

“Let Charlie out darling and I’ll take you”

“Okay daddy” Will watched as Charlie waited patiently for her at the back door which she could just about reach and opened it.

“You so much as touch her, I will kill you” Will whispered as Casey ran to the stairs, Will followed and picked her up and took her to the balcony in their room. 

Casey squealed in delight as Charlie ran through the field disturbing the grass and he watched slowly as the fireflies drifted upwards. Will could feel tears rolls down his cheek as they sparkled in the moonlight. He knew Hannibal had noticed. Casey watched Hannibal join them, he kept his distance and watched from afar. 

"Daddy? can I speak to your friend?" 

Will was exhausted and wasn't in the mood for an argument especially in front of her, he nodded and put her down. She walked cautiously over to Hannibal looking up at him with wide eyes. He bent down to speak to her.

“Mommy had to join the fireflies because they needed her,” Casey said to Hannibal smiling. 

“Ah I see, I bet she puts on a show just for you, you look just like her” Hannibal smiled back. 

Will could barely hold himself together anymore, he tried to control his breathing so that she would'nt notice. 

“Daddy says that too” 

“What was your mommy’s name?” 

“Casey, that's my name too” 

“That’s a beautiful name, you can’t have been very old when mommy had to take care of the fireflies” 

“No but Daddy says Mommy speaks to him and he tells me what she’s up to” 

“I bet he does because he’s a good daddy isn’t, he?”

“Yeah” 

“Hannibal…stop it… please” Will pleaded. 

“That’s a funny name” Casey smiled amused. 

“It is a funny name you’re right, what’s your favorite thing to do with daddy Casey?” 

“We go to the river and I get to hold the fish food box whilst he stands in the river looking for the fishes” 

“I bet that’s a big help for daddy, have you caught a fish yet?” 

“Daddy says that I’m too small but that I have the most important job” 

“Ah well I’m sure you’ll be doing that on your own soon” 

Will watched as Casey began to yawn and shiver as the night grew on.

“Well why doesn’t daddy take you back to bed, I’m very sorry for waking you up Casey”

She nodded and started to rub her eyes. Will wiped the tears from his cheeks and picked her up taking her back to her bed inside. He tucked her in but realised he could not stop crying. He closed the balcony doors and met Hannibal outside.

“You have no right to be here, let alone talk to her like that! It's hard enough for me trying to explain to her” Will spat.

“Will, I’m sorry, I would never have disturbed you like this but I had to know that you were alright, it was selfish” 

“You let me have a life, not to mention you are supposed to be dead! Yet again. I grieved you, do you have any idea what you have done to me. I am trying to explain to my little girl why her mommy doesn’t kiss her goodnight, she’s three, I…this is the worst feeling in the entire world and I have to lie to her every day so that she can sleep at night” 

“Will, I am so sorry for your loss, you obviously cared a lot about her mother, and I am not here to undermine that or take that away. I needed to see you because of the way I left things, I needed you to know that I only did what I did was because of…”

“You have no idea what the last five years have been like, you don't fit in here”

“For us both to be free I had to destroy myself and let you go” 

“Then why come back? I know that you are alive, is that some sort of prize?” 

“Will, I love you and I want to take this pain away from you, it will get better, you have the chance to raise a daughter and that is a wonderful thing” 

Will ignored his confession deliberately. 

“Did it ever occur to you that you are the source of my ‘pain’”

“Will…”

“No Hannibal, I would have done everything for you and you consistently took advantage of my naivety, here I thought I would be free from you but god…” 

“Will arguably I know you better than anyone else and the mother of your child sounds like a wonderful person who gave you everything you needed, and I am truly sorry that she is gone”

“Do you want to know what happened to her, why her daughter is alone? You weren't here...”

“She is yours Will, she will never be alone” 

Will couldn't stop his grief from spilling over, he had kept it stifled inside himself for so long for the sake of his daughter. 

“Well turns out I knew nothing about her, we only spent a year together and she was running from her husband who would beat the shit out of her, and she never said anything. She never said anything! I could have helped and then I got her pregnant and…and…God I'm so fucking tired”

Will felt like he was going to pass out. He had never been able to tell anybody how he felt since it happened. He felt his knees buckle and he fell forward, he screamed in agony, a gut-wrenching noise that ripped through him as he doubled over. Hannibal grasped him tightly and held him to his chest. 

“My love, it's alright I promise” 

Will buried his face into his jacket, no noise left him, he was ruined as the grief overtook him shaking in silent anguish.  
...

That night...

Will sipped the whiskey that Hannibal handed him in order to calm himself down. Hannibal sat next to him and placed a hand on his knee.

“Will, I will put this right, you just have to ask” 

Will downed his drink and nodded. “There is something you can do for me” 

Hannibal nodded.

“Hunt down that bastard and bring him to me” 

“Anything for you my dear” Hannibal smirked. 

Will heard crying from his room and sighed. 

“Duty calls it seems” 

Hannibal smiled. 

Will got up and found Casey in his bed clutching her blanket sniffling in the dark.

“Oh dear sweetheart, what happened?” 

“Nightmare” 

“Ah, you wanna sit with Daddy?” 

She nodded and held up her hands and Will picked her up and brought her downstairs. She picked up her blanket and covered her. 

“You remember daddy’s friend? The man with the funny name?” He’s staying here for a while and I’m sure he would love to hear all the stories you tell daddy and Charlie"

Hannibal looked surprised at his decision but Will drew no attention to it. 

Casey nodded still sniffling clutching Will, he brought her blanket around her and sat with her in front of the fire, he rocked her gently as she calmed down.

“Will, you’re brilliant with her” Hannibal spoke quietly. 

Will looked down and noticed she had already fallen asleep as he continued to rock her. 

He smiled. 

“It suits you; I knew you would be a good father given the chance”

“I was given the chance” Will stated not looking at Hannibal for that was the past and he was determined not to stir any progress they had made recovering from it.

He continued to rock Casey, she was completely asleep. Hannibal poured Will another drink and passed it to him. He sipped it. 

“You would have really liked her mother Hannibal, she was insightful and funny, she could get on with anybody” 

“I’m sure I would have” Hannibal smiled. “Without me being disrespectful Will, have you visited her grave or memorial?” 

Will paused. “It's shameful but I can never bring myself to face it, it would break Casey’s reality, she knows she is safe here because she thinks her mom is outside watching her, could you do that to someone?” 

Hannibal nodded. “Why don’t you go alone? It could provide some sort of closer whilst helping you to explain to Casey” #

“Because then I have to admit to a three-year-old that their mother isn’t here and I can’t do that, not whilst she is so young it's not fair and only I will make that decision. It breaks my heart every time Hannibal” 

“I know Will, I’m sorry” 

Will finished his drink trying to swallow the tears that threatened to spill over. Will considered something carefully, he eyed Hannibal, the anger he felt towards him had subsided as he had been able to tell someone what the matter was.

“Would you like to hold her?” Will asked before he thought about it any longer. 

Hannibal looked surprised. “Are you sure?” 

“If you are in my life then you have to be comfortable around her, she is my life now” 

Hannibal nodded. Will placed his glass down and carried Casey over to where Hannibal sat opposite him, she made a few noises of protest before she was placed in Hannibal’s arms and he rocked her back to sleep. 

Will watched as Hannibal tucked her blanket around her feet and covered her hands, he was so delicate. 

“She’s beautiful Will, inside and out the way she sees the world, she takes that from you” 

“Well, if she knows what’s good for her, she’ll be like her mother more than me” 

Hannibal soothed her as she became restless. 

“You are not a bad person Will”

Will huffed. “That’s a debate for another time” 

“Will?”

“Mhmm?”

“I never did say congratulations” 

Will broke out into a grin.

“Thanks”


	18. Accept

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning- some 18+ material...;)

“I’ll take her upstairs” 

Hannibal nodded as Will picked up Casey and took her upstairs to her bed. He tucked her into her bed with her bear and placed a kiss on her forehead. He closed the door and went down the stairs to see Hannibal admiring the pictures he had by the fireplace.

“She was very beautiful Will”

Will looked at the picture of Casey’s mother, he could barely look at her in the photo.

Will knew that he noticed. 

“You could never have known Will you have to know that”

“I could have tried harder” Will spoke as he took his seat again, he finished his drink again, relishing in the burn. 

“Will”

“Just don’t Hannibal” 

Hannibal took his seat and smiled as he noticed the drawing underneath the photo frame. 

“You still have the drawing I gave you” 

“Yeah, Casey wanted to put it up” 

“Will, I will make this right I promise”

“Well suddenly I don’t believe in promises”

Hannibal sighed and leant forward trying to meet his eye. Will refused, choosing to stare at his empty glass deliberately. Hannibal got off his chair and knelt in front of Will, he took his glass off of him. Will could feel his face go flush, he liked to think from the fire and alcohol. Hannibal ran his hands on the inside of his thighs, his immediate reaction was for him to retract from the contact. But as Hannibal continued the touch him until he relaxed.

“I’m still angry at you” 

“I know” 

Hannibal moved forward until he was eye level with Will. He placed a hand under his chin guiding him forward.

“But I have a feeling that this is long overdue, if you decide that it is only tonight then I won’t waste it” 

"I already told Casey that you would be here a while" He admitted reluctantly. 

Hannibal smiled as pressed his lips to his slowly, Will resisted at first, hesitating before reciprocating gently. Every fiber in his body was urging him forward. He brought a hand to the back of Hannibal's neck grasping gently as he opened his mouth wider. He moaned as Hannibal bit and sucked at his bottom lip. 

“Fucking hell” Will groaned closing his eyes as Hannibal kissed his neck achingly slowly. All his senses were amplified. It had been too long.   
Hannibal ran his hands down his torso until he paused.

“Keep going” Will breathed.

Hannibal continued. He grasped Will’s t-shirt and Will moved so he could take it off. He palmed Will through his jeans, and as he held his hand there Will bucked his hips desperate to get some friction. 

“God, hurry up” Will groaned. Hannibal grinned and worked his jeans down his legs until they came off. Will flushed as he realised how hard he was. Hannibal slipped his hand under his boxers grasping him tightly causing Will to swear at the pressure. He brought Hannibal’s face to his kissing him fiercely biting his lip to get him to move. Hannibal pulled back and pushed Will to lie on the sofa, he felt exposed yet safe at the same time. 

Hannibal removed his own shirt, Will grasped his torso bringing him so that he lay between his thighs, he ground his hips upwards, he could feel Hannibal getting hard. He put his hands in his hair kissing him hard. Hannibal pulled back, Will admired that he looked as ruined as he felt. 

“Will, do you have any…” 

Will frowned as Hannibal didn’t finish his sentence, then it dawned on him what he meant.

“Fuck, no…look it's fine" 

Hannibal did not look convinced as Will brought him for another kiss.

“Will…I don’t want to h…” 

“Hannibal Jesus Christ just fuck me before I change my mind” Will groaned impatiently.

“God, you haven’t changed” Hannibal sat back smiling and took his trousers and underwear off. Will took a deep breath as he saw that Hannibal was as hard as he was and he removed his boxers. Will watched as Hannibal placed a hand on his cheek before moving his fingers to pry his mouth open, Will sucked his fingers eagerly moaning as he did so. Hannibal took them and placed one at his entrance teasing him. 

“Fuck” He hissed as Hannibal placed two fingers inside of him massaging him open slowly. 

“What darling? You said you could take it” Hannibal smirked as Will writhed under him. Hannibal lay between his thighs pinning him down with one hand on his left thigh whilst his other hand fucked him.

Will relished in the burn as Hannibal pushed a third finger inside him, he found himself desperate for more. He grasped the back of his neck and bit at his lip, sucking at the cut he had made, groaning as he tasted the metallic blood that came to the surface. Hannibal pulled back hissing at the pain and grasped Will’s thighs with both hands so that his cock was positioned at his entrance. 

Will nodded as Hannibal met his eyes, Will didn’t think he could look more beautiful as blood dripped from his bottom lip and his hair was slick with sweat. Hannibal spat on his fingers and ran them up and down his cock before pressing inside of him.

“Ah…fucking hell” Will bit his lip as he moaned at the pressure. 

Hannibal let him adjust before moving slowly. Will closed his eyes as the mix of pain and pleasure enveloped him. Hannibal fucked him slowly until he was writhing under him desperately. 

“Please” Will begged and Hannibal couldn’t hold on any longer. He snapped his hips vigorously responding to Will’s pleas.

Hannibal moaned as he felt himself become close already. Will bit his lip to stifle his moans. Hannibal placed his hands under his ass, pulling him forward, elevating him so he could fuck him deeper. 

“God right there!” Will cried.

He could feel himself on the edge, Hannibal faltered as he couldn’t hold on any longer and came inside of him moaning deeply. He pulled out, Will protested as he felt empty as Hannibal bent down and took his cock into his mouth, sucking hard. Will grasped onto his hair desperately before he came almost immediately. 

“Ah, Jesus Hannibal” Will winced as he became overly sensitive. 

Hannibal pulled back admiring the state he was in as he breathed rapidly. Will’s legs fell open and Hannibal lay on top of his chest trying to catch his breath. Will played with his hair gently, as both of their breathing slowed, he felt his eyes go heavy until all he could hear was the crackling of the fire behind him. 

The same night...

Will awoke in the middle of the night still on the sofa, the fire had gone out and there was a chill in the air. He had a blanket covering him and as he sat up, he frowned as Hannibal was nowhere to be seen. Panic hit him as he realised he could be upstairs. He grabbed his clothes and put them, he took the stairs. He opened his bedroom and smiled as Charlie was lying with Casey on her bed, they were both fast asleep. He went into the bathroom and pet Charlie as he heard him. He wagged his tail slowly. 

“There’s a good boy” Will smiled. He went back into the bedroom and placed a kiss on Casey’s forehead. 

Will frowned as Hannibal was nowhere to be seen. He left the bedroom closing the door slowly. He went back downstairs and paused as he noticed through the kitchen window that he was sitting outside. He opened the back door. 

“It’s freezing out here”.

Hannibal nodded, he stared ahead not really acknowledging him. Will placed a hand on his shoulder and he turned.

“Will?” 

Will sat next to him. 

“Yes?” 

“I truly am sorry”

Will knew he was sincere. He leaned on his shoulder enjoying his warmth as they watched the sun start to wake up. 

“You’re here now, I’ll focus on that”. 

“Not that you need me” He laughed. 

“There were bad days, really bad days, she was the only one who made me see past it all, when she…when I was alone, I think if I didn’t have our daughter, I wouldn’t have…you know” He struggled to put his grief into words. 

“You don’t ever give yourself enough credit Will, raising a newborn is one of life’s greatest gifts but its never easy” 

“Was that your attempt at a compliment?” 

Hannibal smiled and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Come to bed" Will took his hand.

"Which bed would that be?" Hannibal said softly. Will felt a heat pool in his stomach. 

Will heard a faint crying in the distance and shook his head sighing. Hannibal laughed softly.


	19. Rest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 18+ material...;)

Two weeks later…

“Casey go and get Charlie’s food from the cupboard” 

Casey did as she was told and Charlie got up at the sound of his name padding through to meet Casey by his food bowls. Will made two mugs of coffee. Will looked over on the couch and saw the rise and fall of Hannibal’s chest slowly as he slept. Casey giggled as Charlie licked her fingers as she placed his bowl down.

“Shhhh, Hannibal is sleeping okay?” 

Casey put the food back in the cupboard.

“Good girl, now go upstairs and find what you want to wear, and I’ll come to help you in a minute” Will watched as her feet softly thudded on the floor as she went upstairs barely reaching the banister. Will walked over to Hannibal and nudged him gently. He opened his eyes slowly.

“Coffee?”

Hannibal nodded and sat up.

“Thank you, Will, will you be okay today?”. 

Will handed him a mug and he took his own to the other sofa. 

"I have to be," Will said quietly. 

“Daddy? I’m ready daddy!” He heard being called down the stairs.

Will sighed and got up, leaving his coffee. He went up the stairs and sighed as Casey had taken every piece of clothing out of her drawers and strewn them across the bed and floor.

“Casey! What has daddy told you about making a mess?!” 

She paused and her face scrunched up, Will felt awful.

“Hey, no baby I’m not mad at you, Daddy is just tired okay?”

She began to cry and as Will went to pick her up, she shook her head and ran out the door, he sighed as it only took him a second to catch up to her as she tried to go down the stairs herself while crying. She gave up and sat halfway down them sniffling. Will smiled.

“Baby, come and get dressed, we can tidy together?”

“No” 

“Ah, Casey you have learned a very important word” Hannibal appeared at the bottom of the stairs smiling. 

“Daddy was mean to me” She scowled, her breathing uneven.

“Sometimes adults say things they don’t mean. What about I help you tidy up and then you show me all the good hiding places in the house?” 

Casey’s face lit up and Will caught Hannibal’s gaze and mouthed ‘thank you’ as he headed upstairs for a shower. He went into the bathroom and turned on the shower, he took a seat on the toilet and rubbed his face. He was exhausted. Every once in a while he would catch the way Hannibal looked at her and he smiled, he had slowly been welcoming him further into his life again. They hadn’t been together since the first night with him staying on the couch as a result. Will thought that he was letting his guard down too quickly. However, this was of no consequence as he couldn’t keep his eyes open half the time.

“Will?” 

He looked up bleary-eyed as Hannibal was in the doorway. He frowned and opened his mouth to speak but Hannibal got there first.

“She’s downstairs playing with Charlie, she's forgotten already”. 

“Oh” Will nodded. "I haven't told her yet" 

“Are you alright? would you like me to?” He asked cautiously.

“I will be,” He said with his eyes shut. "No I'm her father it should be me" 

“Will, you won’t feel like this forever”. Will knew he wasn’t referring to his exhaustion. 

Will scoffed. “Until the next time” 

Hannibal entered the bathroom and walked over to where he sat, kneeling in front of him.

“I promised I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, I intend to keep that promise. Nothing is going to happen to Casey, this will be good for her”. 

“She likes you” Will smiled. 

Hannibal returned the smile. “Do you think so?” 

Will nodded resting his chin on his own hand. “God, I need sleep”.

Hannibal laughed as Will began to doze off where he sat. Hannibal shook him gently encouraging him to take his shower. When Will finished he realised the house was eerily quiet. He wrapped a towel around his torso and as he left the bathroom he heard Casey laughing, properly laughing outside. He went to the balcony from his room and saw Hannibal with his sleeves rolled up in the field behind the house and Casey running between the grasses and through the trees that lined the field. He watched them for a while before getting her a change of clothes from her drawers, he realised Hannibal tidied up after all. He folded everything meticulously and then he heard a knock at the door.

“Yeah?” 

“Will, Casey is downstairs with Charlie, how are you doing?”. 

Will tried not to grin, It was bizarre to see Hannibal Lecter chasing after a toddler. He placed the sets of clothes on his bed. 

“I’ll bring her up in a minute to get her ready”. 

Hannibal nodded and was about to close the door when Will stopped him.

“Hannibal?” 

“Yes?” 

Hannibal stepped inside and closed the door. Will approached him and took him in, his hair was disheveled and his shirt muddy from being outside, he had a slight sheen of sweat across his face and his chest. He wiped some dirt from his cheek and met his eyes.

“Will…” 

Hannibal breathed as he moved closer, their lips brushing together. Hannibal pressed his lips lightly to his, Will reciprocated harder as Hannibal pressed him against the door. He was tired of feeling scared about the number of things he was doing wrong. Regardless of what Hannibal had done, he never thought he was a failure. He didn't have to pretend to be something he wasn't. 

“I shouldn't...” Will was becoming breathless. 

Hannibal responded by kissing and nipping at his neck, down his chest until he removed Will’s towel causing him to groan and grasp Hannibal’s hair. Hannibal took him into his mouth in one movement taking him by surprise. Will moaned as he pulled at Hannibal’s hair hissing as he grazed his teeth against his shaft. 

“Fuck…” Will groaned through gritted teeth, Hannibal moved agonisingly slowly. Will encouraged him and and he moved faster, Will’s mouth fell open in pleasure. He edged closer and closer until he felt his legs begin to shake and his knees week. 

“Hannibal…I’m gonna…” 

Will could not finish as he grasped desperately at Hannibal’s hair bucking his hips as he came. He leaned exhausted against the door as Hannibal stood. His eyes felt heavy. He placed a kiss against Hannibal's neck leaning forward onto his chest. 

That afternoon...

Will took a deep breath as he rocked Casey as she slept in his arms on the sofa. She grasped his hand tightly. He looked down at her peaceful form. Hannibal handed him some toast, he always forgot to eat. He sat in the usual couch across from him. He took a small bite and swallowed, he didn't feel like eating on today of all days. 

“What am I supposed to say to her?” Will was trying to hold back tears.

“She is more resillient than you think Will, it's important for her to know how much her mother loved her even though she can't see her, she won’t be any different because of it, she’ll love you more for this” 

Will continued to rock her slowly, he wasn't convinced. 

An hour later...

“There you are, look in the mirror Casey”

Will finished putting her in a small white dress and thick jumper, she beamed as she looked in the mirror. 

“Do you think mommy will like it?” She looked up at Will and suddenly it hit him all at once. 

“Yeah baby, she’s going to love it, why don’t you get your shoes and I’ll meet you downstairs?” 

She nodded as she twirled in the mirror. Will walked into the bathroom and gripped the sink, he wanted to crush it under his own hands. He heard a knock at the door.

“Will, are you ready? I can meet you in the car if you would like?” 

Will could not focus enough to answer, Hannibal opened the door slowly.

“Darling?” 

Will jumped at the nickname, he heard Hannibal open and shut the door and come up behind him. He took Will’s hands and turned him around in his arms. He leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead. They didn’t speak, nothing needed to be said. They heard a quiet knock on the door.

“Daddy? I can’t find my other shoe!” 

They both smiled. 

“I’m coming sweetheart” Will called back, he went to leave but Hannibal brought his hand up to his face and kissed him slowly, when he pulled back Will’s face was crimson. As he opened the door he was greeted by Casey holding up one shoe, he picked her up. She started laughing when she realised Hannibal was leaving the bathroom as well.

“Why is other daddy in there too? Did you need help finding your shoes too?” 

Will froze as Hannibal closed the bathroom door, he stared between the two of them. 

“What do you mean ‘other’ daddy sweetheart?” 

“Well your my daddy but you are with other daddy like you had mommy” 

Will blinked and stared at Hannibal. 

“Will, I swear I never said anything to her” Hannibal rushed out. Will held up his hand to silence him.

Will shook his head and put her down and knelt in front of her. 

“And you like Hannibal? You have fun with him?” 

“Yeah, we play hide and seek and he makes me cookies” 

Will frowned. “And you want another daddy?” 

Casey nodded smiling at Hannibal. 

“You’re as smart as mommy you know that?" He took a deep breath before continuing. "Casey you know how Mommy loves you very much but we can't see her?” Will smiled, he trying to be as delicate as possible. She nodded, she watched him intently. "Well, Mommy...she's got a special place where she rests and I think...would you like to see it?" 

"Like my bedroom?" Casey said frowning.

Will smiled. "Kind of baby, she rests with lots of other people so she's not alone" 

"Okay daddy" She nodded slowly. 

"Good girl" 

Will picked her up and took her downstairs, finding her shoe on the way. He placed her into the car in the backseat, he slipped her other shoe on and whistled on Charlie who jumped into the back of the Jeep. Hannibal joined him in the passenger side and he could feel him watching him as he drove down the driveway and onto the main road. He rarely left the house and grounds, so it felt unusual to be out in the open, especially with Hannibal.

“Will?” 

“I’m not talking about this now, today is not about us” Will said quietly as he continued along the deserted road. 

Hannibal stayed silent. After about half an hour they drove through a small town. Will had got the name of the graveyard through the local paper, the town was quiet, not more than a couple of people milling about, it had old American shops and diners along one main street. Will saw the small church at the end of the town and as he pulled in, he felt a wave of sadness hit him. 

“Will? Do you need a minute?” 

Will nodded and Hannibal got out from the car and collected Casey from her seat. Will took deep breaths as he looked out the window, the church was white and wooden and the only sounds that could be heard was the creak of the wind dial on top of its roof. 

He got out of the car to see Hannibal walking with Casey through the rows of pristinely kept graves. He found his words caught in his throat as he saw Casey reach up and take Hannibal’s hand as they wondered together, Charlie walking behind them slowly until they paused. Hannibal knelt down beside her. Will watched as the realisation hit her as she pointed to the grave and Hannibal nodded smiling softly. He saw Casey sit down in front of the grave stone and began speaking to it, her face lighting up as she raised her hands expressing herself as she told a grand story. Hannibal told Charlie to stay with her as he made his way back. Will tried to compose himself but he could not bring himself to join her. Hannibal met him by the car.

“She’s doing great Will” 

“Does she… understand?” 

Hannibal nodded.

“She’s keeping her up to date about all the things she’s been doing. In time it will get easier Will and I don’t mean that as an insult. Her mother obviously was a good person, and it is not our job to tell her what she should be feeling. It is joy today that she feels perhaps sadness tomorrow, but she has you as a constant and you need to remember that” 

Will nodded. 

“I should go over there….”

“Okay, I’ll wait in the car” Hannibal took his hand and squeezed it gently. 

Will walked down until he met Casey, she was still telling her story. She stopped as he met her and knelt down beside her. 

“Daddy isn’t it pretty?” 

Will looked at the gravestone, it was carved in smooth black granite with gold lettering surrounded by candles, photos, and flowers of every description. Will knelt beside her.

“It is sweetheart” 

Will could see the entire town loved her as much as they did, she looked at the photos of her from through the years and smiled. That was how they chose to remember her and it was how he would as well. 

“Here, why don’t you take one of these photos home, nobody will mind and you can put it beside your bed then you can see mommy all the time” 

“Can I choose?” She asked politely. 

“Of course baby”

Will had very few photos of her mother and he always felt guilty because of that. Casey squinted as she considered each photo until she came across one of the most recent ones of her in some woodland, her hair loose as she smiled broadly at something in the distance, it was small but framed. 

“This one daddy” She held it up to him and he took it from her.

“That’s a really lovely one, do you want to take a flower too?”

Casey shook her head and Will frowned. 

“They’re mommies flowers, she needs them” She said seriously. 

“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind” Will encouraged but her expression didn't change. Will could see her struggle to say yes as her eyes looked at all the flowers surrounding the grave. 

“What about we plant some flowers in the fields at home for mommy?” 

Casey nodded as she stood, Will dusted her off and picked her up, calling Charlie to follow. As he put her back in the car, he handed her the photo frame, and she took it gently. Will said nothing as he got in the driver’s seat and set off back home. It had started to rain and Will looked to notice that Casey had started to fall asleep. She was holding the frame tightly. 

“Will?”

“What?” He said abruptly. 

“If you don’t want me to be involved with Casey as a father figure, just say” 

Will huffed. “It’s a bit late for that, she sees you as her 'dad' now and there is no way in hell I’m taking any more from her. If you walk out of our life again, I swear to god I won’t miss with my gun next time” 

“Will you don’t know how it felt for her to call me that” Hannibal placed a hand over his on the steering wheel and squeezed gently. 

Will took a breath, he knew he was being unfair. 

“Look she trusts you and is happy when she is with you, I can’t ask for more than that, but I will ask you keep whatever has happened in the past as far away from her as possible, she doesn’t need to know and I hope eventually it fades from anyone’s memory. I don’t know how much people know out here and I want to keep it like that” 

Hannibal nodded. “And what about our little problem?” 

“Bring him to me alive” Will said as he dug his nails into the steering wheel, his face stern. 

Hannibal nodded in agreement.


	20. Climax

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for Blood, Homophobic language, Gore and Smut everyone! 
> 
> Thank you so much for all your kind words, this has been one of the most enjoyable fics I have ever written and has only fuelled my passion for writing further. Every comment of support means the world!  
> Special mention for user Faptastique for their lovely comments, hints, and tips!
> 
> See you in the next one!

“He has to go away for few weeks sweetheart, he’ll be back as soon as he can” 

“But me and Dad were supposed to play hide and seek today” She pouted and Will tried not to laugh. “Well you can think of some new spots to hide while he’s gone,” He said softly. She huffed and looked up at Hannibal who was putting his coat on. Will hadn’t noticed the change in name for Hannibal until recently but it made it easier to know who she was after when she was yelling from one corner of the house to the other. 

“Dad?”

“Yes darling?” 

“Do you have to go?” 

Hannibal bent down and picked her up which made her squeal. “I’m afraid so, but I’ll be back in time for your birthday, you’re going to be 12 right?”  
Casey giggled. “No daddy, I’m gonna be four” 

Will laughed as she had somehow picked up on her mother’s accent. 

“Four? That doesn’t seem right”. 

“I counted”. She said defiantly. 

“Ah well in that case I’ll bring you back something extra special back” Hannibal passed her to Will and when she started to protest Hannibal tried not to smile. Will put her down as she struggled in his arms. 

“Say goodbye nicely Casey” 

Casey folded her arms and turned her back on both of them. 

“That’s not very nice” Will tried to sound serious but he was smiling.

“Dad isn’t nice for going” 

Will raised his eyebrows. Hannibal knelt down behind her and gently turned around

“Casey, I promise I’ll be back before you know it”. 

She huffed but nodded. She held out her arms and Hannibal hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Bye daddy” 

“Goodbye darling” Hannibal let her go.

“Go play outside Casey” Will said softly. 

She dragged her feet as she went to the back door. Will waited before it had opened and closed before he turned, Hannibal embraced him.

“I’m just finding his location; I won’t be long”. 

“Don’t be reckless”. Will warned. 

Hannibal smiled. “Never”

Will grasped the back of his hair and brought their lips together kissing him softly. He pulled back and realised everything had fallen into place. He had found a home with Hannibal not in spite of him. 

“I..” 

“Will?” Hannibal frowned. 

“Nevermind” 

Hannibal smiled. “I won’t be long I promise” 

“I know but this guy…he’s…”

“Not as capable as me or you” Hannibal finished.

“I know but... “

“Will? You’ve been off for days and it’s not just me leaving”

“I’ll tell you when you get back”

“Will” Hannibal pressed. 

Will stared but he couldn't continue. 

“I love you too” Hannibal said quietly. Will embraced him again. 

“Just... Don’t get carried away”.

Hannibal placed a kiss on his cheek. 

“Never” Hannibal smirked. 

...

3 Weeks later…

Will was at the back of the house when he heard a car pull into the drive. He was busy planting bulbs along the edges of the fields for the spring. The sun was setting into a cold evening. He hadn’t slept half of the time with the majority spent watching his empty drive, Casey was a welcome distraction, but he felt most alone at night. Any calm that Hannibal brought, had left with him. Casey would cry for him which only broke his heart further. Hannibal had seamlessly slipped into their life and Will was shocked with how much his absence disturbed the house. 

He went back through the house and smiled as he saw Hannibal leave his car with his bags and come to the front door, he opened it and breathed a sigh of relief that he looked perfectly untouched. 

“Hey” 

Hannibal placed his bags down. 

“Hello, Will” He reached his hand out and Will took it and Hannibal put him tight to his chest.

“How have you been?” Hannibal said softly.

“Okay I guess, Casey wouldn’t stop talking about you, she's upstairs asleep”. 

He laughed quietly. "I brought her something for her birthday next week" Will took him inside with his bags and watched with curiosity as he went into his bag and fished out a bunch of packets as well as a small rectangular box. Will frowned. "These are rare wildflowers that I thought she could plant next to her mothers grave and I thought it was about time she had her own fishing rod" Will smiled and nodded. "She'll love those Hannibal, thank you." He took them and hid them under the stairs. Hannibal took off his thick winter coat and took a seat beside the fire and Will went to get him a drink. He handed him it which he took gratefully. He watched as he took a long sip and closed his eyes leaning back on the couch. Will took a seat opposite him and took him in. He had a simple white shirt on, the two buttons undone at the top which was unusually casual for him, perhaps he had needed to blend in. He saw his hands, they were steady as they grasped the glass. He looked content, like he had been fed, satisfied from the hunt. 

“Hannibal?”

“mhmm” 

“Where is he?” 

Hannibal kept his eyes closed.

“About eight hours away” 

Will raised his eyebrows.

“And your sure it was him?” 

Hannibal smirked and Will rolled his eyes. 

“He lives alone Will, in an apartment on the outskirt of the town, he does nothing all day, it child’s play, I’m rather disappointed actually” 

“Only you would think that, what are you going to do? 

“That depends on what you would like me to do, he is…not a challenge to bring here but I don’t think Casey needs to see that” 

“So, we go to him?” 

“Well, someone needs to babysit” Hannibal said laughing. 

“What about the outbuildings here?” 

Hannibal nodded. “Certainly” 

Will got up and finished his drink before placing the glass down and going to kneel in front of him. He suddenly thought a thanks were in order. He kneeled in front of Hannibal as he sat with his eyes closed, occasionally lifting his drink to his lips and savouring the amber liquid. Hannibal opened his eyes as he felt Will close to him.  
“Will? What are you…?” he trailed off as Will ran his hands along the inside of his thighs. Hannibal let out a small moan as he unbuttoned his trousers and slipped his hand under his underwear. 

“Will…you don’t…god” Will massaged him slowly and watched as Hannibal closed his eyes. Hannibal finished his drink which made Will smile. He pulled back his underwear and took him immediately into his mouth slowly letting his teeth graze his shaft. 

“Fuck Will” He brought a hand up into his hand and grasped his hair tightly causing Will to moan, the vibrations causing Hannibal to groan. He moved his hips upwards meeting him. Will quickened his pace before suddenly stopping watching as Hannibal opened his eyes and released his tight grip on his hair, his cock slick. He raised his eyebrows when Will quickly removed his trousers and underwear and straddled him on the couch. 

“Will?” Hannibal asked as Will brought his fingers to trace Hannibal’s jawline before prying his mouth open and slipping two fingers into his mouth which he sucked. After they were slick his began fingering himself slowly whilst he brought a hand around the back of Hannibal’s neck and brought him into a kiss, slipping his tongue inside his mouth. Hannibal pulled back, his breathing quickening. He took Will’s other hand and brought it to clasp his other behind his neck as he positioned himself under his entrance, Will lowered himself down.

“Fucking hell” He groaned biting his lip. Hannibal placed his hands on his hips and kissed him slowly as Will moved upwards riding him, digging his nails into the back of his neck. Hannibal bucked his hips upwards as he demanded more. 

“Mmmm” Will moaned against his mouth as Hannibal moved faster. Will could see he was losing control quickly so he slowed down deliberately savouring each movement.

“Damn you Will Graham” Will saw his eyes grew darker with impatience. Hannibal grasped his hips tighter as he fucked him deeper and faster. Will grasped his shoulders and groaned as Hannibal bit at his neck and sucked bruises into the skin. Will responded by tugging his hair pulling his head back so that he could do the same to his neck. As he brushed against his stomach he could feel himself become close. 

“Are you going to come for me Will?” 

“Mhmm” Will moaned as he felt himself get closer. 

“Will god…”

“Fuck..” 

Hannibal faltered and Will could feel him come inside him, he relished the feeling and rode out his orgasm slowly with him before he let himself come. He rested in the nape of his neck as he came down. He placed a kiss just below his ear. 

Whatever he had felt in the past was exactly that. Nobody could make him feel as safe. He could feel himself flush as Hannibal met his eyes. 

Hannibal kissed his lips lightly. Will played with his hair for a while, too tired to move.Will eventually got up slowly and took his hand and led him to the bathroom. He switched on the shower as Hannibal removed the rest of his clothes. Will followed him into the shower and let the hot water soothe their aching muscles. When they were finished, Will wrapped a towel round his waist and was walking into his bedroom when he paused. Hannibal came out into the hallway with a towel also around his waist. He was about to go back downstairs when Will stopped him.

“Hannibal?” He whispered. 

“Yes?” 

Will gestured to his bedroom and he saw Hannibal smile softly, Will nodded and he followed. He grabbed a spare clean tshirt and underwear and changed in the bathroom where he handed Hannibal his own set and they went back into the bedroom. He tried to open the creaking door as silently as possible but swore when he saw Casey rub her eyes and look around the room. He saw Charlie curled up with her. 

“Daddy?” She spoke quietly.  
“I’m here sweetheart, I didn’t mean to wake you up” He bent down at her bedside. “There’s someone here to see you baby”  
He watched as Casey blinked blearily in the darkness until she saw Hannibal across the room from her.  
“Dad!” She got out of bed and ran round to meet Hannibal who picked her up.  
“Hello sweetheart, have you been a good girl?”  
She nodded but she rubbed her eyes and yawned.  
“Oh, dear I think you need to go back to sleep”  
She shook her head but rested her head on his shoulder and Will laughed. Hannibal went round the bed to put her back in her own bed but she protested.  
“Casey you have your own bed” Will said as he went to take her. She rubbed her eyes as she became more distressed, grasping Hannibal’s t-shirt and burying herself into his chest.

“It’s alright Will, I’ll stay with her”.  
Will frowned but nodded as he got into his own bed. Hannibal rocked her gently as she fell back asleep and sat down next to Will.  
“You must be exhausted” Will said yawning.  
Hannibal shook his head.  
“She can stay in this bed” Will said defeated, he lay down further and put his head on his pillow. His eyes heavy as he watched Hannibal tuck her under the covers next to him and he lay down on her other side. He brushed the curls out of her eyes and placed a kiss on her forehead.  
“Thank you Will”.  
Will frowned he said with his eyes half closed. “What for?”  
Hannibal sighed.  
“Doesn’t matter…Goodnight darling” Was all Will heard before he fell asleep peacefully for what felt like the first time in weeks. 

...

Later that night...

Will was woken in the early hours of the morning to the sound of glass smashing. He sat up immediately and noticed that Hannibal wasn’t next to him. Casey was sound asleep. As he left the room, he grabbed the key from the bedside and locked the door as he went onto the landing.  
He froze as a hand was placed around his mouth from behind. He relaxed when he recognised the voice in his ear.  
“Don’t speak darling. It seems that our man is downstairs, he must have followed me. Is Casey locked in her room?”  
Will l could only nod.  
“He has a gun”  
Hannibal removed his hand. Will relaxed, he noticed he was carrying his own handgun.  
Will turned to face him. He was calm as usual.  
“Stay here” He said. Will grasped his hand tightly and shook his head. He had no idea what this guy was capable of. Hannibal kissed his cheek silently and walked across the landing and down the stairs slowly. He heard nothing as Hannibal vanished from view. He looked over the landing but still nothing. He walked back towards his bedroom but as his hand touched the handle he heard gun shots causing him to flinch. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  
“Daddy?!” He heard from the bedroom, he could tell Casey was standing behind the door as he saw the handle be pushed down in front of him. He knelt down and rested his head against the door.  
“I need you to be quiet darling”.  
“Daddy let me out”. The handle was tried again, this time faster.  
“Casey, I need you to be very brave and very quiet for me” He whispered. He closed one eye and looked through the keyhole of the door. He could see her looking at the door, she was breathing rapidly. He could hear Charlie whining as he stood beside her.  
“Daddy?”  
She realised she could do the same and she looked through the keyhole herself.  
“Can you do this for me sweetheart, you can see me can’t you?”  
“Yes daddy” She said quietly.  
“Take Charlie and you hide in the closet, just like we do when we play hide and seek, tell him to stay and he’ll be right outside for you okay?” He tried to sound calm but his voice wavered at the end.  
The gun fire echoed through the house along with the sound of a man screaming, he couldn’t tell which one. It hammered through his chest.  
“Okay daddy”  
“You’re such a good girl”  
Will wiped a tear from his face and he watched as she did as she was told. He stood up and walked slowly down the landing and down the stairs. The gun shots had suddenly stopped. As he went to the bottom of the stairs his stomach lurched at the amount of blood on the floor. It had pooled in some areas with footprints covering the living room, the white walls stained pink. He creeped to the cupboard under the stairs and took out his gun and bullets. He steadied his hands as he loaded the gun. As he closed the door, he saw something behind the sofa. As he aimed his gun his heart stopped as he saw Hannibal slumped against the back of the sofa. He knelt down.  
“Hannibal?…can you hear me?”  
He felt his body where he was covered in blood but apart from a nasty wound to the head he couldn’t see anything more serious. Will smiled as he came round.

“Your reflexes are shocking” He spoke as he brushed some matted hair from his eyes.  
“Where’s Casey?” He said as he rubbed his head.  
“Upstairs”  
“I thought he was unconscious, he must have got me from behind”  
Will helped him stand.  
“He won’t last long”  
Will smiled but his face fell as he realised who had appeared at the bottom of the stairs. The man was covered in black but he saw pools of blood-forming where he stood, he noted the bullet wounds littering his arms and legs.   
“Where is she?” He shouted, Will noticed that he had smashed the front window to get in.  
“Who?”  
“My fucking daughter!”  
Will tried to remain calm, his years of FBI training coming to a head. It reminded him of his time with Garrett Jacob Hobbs but he shook his rotten face from his memory.  
“You won’t survive this” Will spoke calmly as raised his gun, as did Hannibal.  
He saw the man look up the stairs, he tried not to react but the man noticed as he smiled before he sprinted towards the stairs, Will pressed the trigger but missed by a fraction, hitting the bannister instead. He chased him up the stairs, Hannibal followed. As he took them two at a time, he saw the man kicking in the bedroom door, it gave way and Will ran in after him.  
“Get on the fucking floor!” Will yelled. He aimed the gun at his head, but he paused as he could hear Casey crying from behind the closet door. If he opened fire it would hit them both. Charlie was trying to defend her by biting the legs of the man but he opened fire randomly at the floor trying to get him to stop. Will’s mouth fell open as Charlie suddenly stopped barking and fell with a thud to the ground.  
“Put the fucking gun down!” Will screamed as he watched him open the closet and grab Casey, she screamed and kicked trying to get away but he grabbed her and held her under her shoulders as she tried to bite him.  
“Let me leave and I won’t fucking kill you” He spat.  
“PUT HER THE FUCK DOWN!" Will screamed. The man pressed the gun to her head causing Will to back away, he could see the fear in her eyes.  
“Baby, look at me, its alright” Will tried to calm her down but she couldn’t catch her breath from crying. She met his eyes but continued to struggle. The man continued to back away until he was forced to open the balcony doors. They both followed him as his back his the balcony railing. He looked behind him at the at the drop and Will knew what he thinking.  
“Hannibal do something” He pleaded as they both aimed their guns on his head.  
"Will, it's going to be alright" The man swung one of his legs over the railing obstructing any clear shot they had.  
“DON’T” Will yelled as he dropped over the edge. He could hear Casey scream, there was a loud thud as they hit the floor.  
“Motherfucker” Will ran to look over the balcony as he saw Casey stand up, brushing the hair from her eyes. 

“Casey!”  
Casey looked up and smiled, Will was about to speak before the man appeared form behind her and grabbed her from behind, she screamed and kicked him again. Will noticed he was limping and still wounded badly. He turned around and noticed Hannibal had already gone, he followed and went down the stairs. Hannibal was reloading his gun as Will caught up to him. He grabbed a knife from the kitchen and handed it to Hannibal while he tried to catch his breath.  
Hannibal gestured towards the front door and Will nodded.  
They ran into to the fields at the back of the house. They could not see anything but could hear Casey crying. They kept running until Will looked up and noticed from behind him the trail of lights appearing, he signalled to Hannibal to look behind him and he nodded. They waited until they saw lights rise metres ahead of them, they each took to the edge of the field. Will walked silently along the field until he saw the lights stop moving. He moved forward until he stood behind the man. His daughter’s eyes lit up as she realised he was behind them, he pressed a finger to his lips and she did the same. He smiled and mouthed ‘Good girl’ as he walked forward and pressed the gun into the back of his head.  
“Put her down or I swear to god I will skin you alive” Will spoke behind him. He put one hand up and put Casey down slowly raising the other. He hung his head and dropped the gun into the grasses. Casey threw herself at Will’s legs and he picked her up.  
“That’s my girl, you’re fine, don’t look at him, just look at me” Casey buried her face into his shirt and sobbed quietly. Will continued to aim the gun as she clung to him with all of her limbs tightly on his waist. Hannibal appeared in front of them aiming the gun at his head.  
“Now, what may we call you Sir?” Hannibal spoke with his classic psychiatrist drawl which he had not heard in years.  
“Sa..Sam”  
“Well Sam, you’ve done an especially rude thing coming to our house after hours, and deary me the mess you’ve caused. But what I find especially unforgivable is that you made our daughter cry and took her from her bed. Will darling, what is a suitable punishment for Sam here do you think?”  
Will pressed the gun further into his head. “Whatever you want, consider it an early Christmas present”.  
Hannibal smirked. “Much obliged” Hannibal winked.  
Casey grasped Will tighter, it broke his heart, but he remained composed.  
“She isn’t yours” Will spoke bitterly.  
“What? You expect me to believe she was knocked up by one of you fags?” Sam laughed in disgust.  
Hannibal winced at the insult; his whole face darkened.  
“Will, could you take her inside please” Hannibal spoke softly.  
“Are you sure?” Will asked.  
“Absolutely, I shan’t be long here”  
Will walked around the front of Sam and lowered his gun, with the other free hand he brushed the blood from Hannibal’s mouth, grasped the back of his neck and kissed him deeply before grasping the knife from Hannibal’s hand and holding it against Sam’s neck. He made sure Casey wasn’t looking before silently slashing across the front of it. He handed the knife back to Hannibal who took it gratefully. He saw his face contort in anguish and blood begin to spill from his mouth as he fell to his knees.  
“All yours” Will smiled as he turned and walked quickly back to the house. As he entered the house, he switched the lights on and swore at the mess of broken glass and blood.

“Where’s daddy?” Casey sniffed.  
“He’s okay baby, he’ll be back in a minute” 

Will took the stairs carefully and went back to the bedroom where he winced at the sight of broken wood and blood. He looked down and the panic returned as he saw Charlie lying in a pool of his own blood.  
“Jesus fucking christ” Will gasped. He put Casey on the bed carefully and he leaned his gun against the doorframe.  
“Daddy what’s wrong with Charlie?” She grabbed one of his toys and held it up to Will, his eyes welling up.  
“Don’t get off the bed until I tell you to, I mean it Casey”  
She nodded and Will picked up Charlie and took him downstairs. He lay him on the kitchen table just as Hannibal walked through the door covered in blood, still holding the handgun. When he saw Charlie, his eyes widened.  
“Help me please” Will pleaded. Hannibal nodded immediately getting the first aid kit from the kitchen. He placed the gun on the table. He rolled his blood-soaked sleeves up and washed his hands quickly.  
“C’mon boy, not now” Will stroked his head as he looked at the gaping wound on his leg, he pressed kitchen towels to it to stem the bleeding. His pulse was weak.  
“Keep pressure on the wound, do you have a sewing kit? Will? Focus for me?”  
Will couldn't think. “Fuck sorry, erm it’s in the kitchen drawer I think” 

“Get me whiskey okay?”  
Will nodded and grabbed a bottle quickly.  
Hannibal worked quickly to stem the bleeding and clean the wound. Will stroked his fur that was drenched with blood with a shaking hand. Charlie whined softly, his breathing shallow.  
“Thank you”

Will rushed out.

“Just keep him calm okay”

Will nodded and he noticed his hands were as steady as stone as he sewed the wound in two minutes before wrapping it in bandages.  
“It looks bad because of the blood but it’s mostly superficial”.  
“What does that mean?”  
“Keep him warm by the fire and he should be okay”.  
“Okay”  
“Go and sort Casey out and I’ll do my best down here okay?”  
Will nodded trying to focus as he went back upstairs. He went back into the bedroom to see Casey clutching Charlie’s toy. He picked her up and kissed her cheek.  
“What a brave girl you are, I’m so sorry sweetheart”  
“That was a bad man daddy”.  
“Yes he was a very bad man, I think Charlie needs a hug from his sister huh?” Will put her on her hip and he tried to avoid standing on any more blood. Her eyes lit up when she saw Hannibal by the fire, he had lay Charlie on a blanket and was stoking the fire with more wood. He put Casey beside Charlie and she pet him softly, she put his toy by his face.  
“God I need a drink” Will groaned as he rubbed his face and drank straight from the whiskey bottle. He relished in the burn that ran down his throat. He handed it to Hannibal who took it gratefully, he took a long drink. Will looked over at Casey slowly stroking Charlie until she eventually fell asleep beside him.  
Will looked at Hannibal, he met his eyes and smiled.  
“I love you” Will breathed.  
"And I, you Will, always" …

The End.


	21. Epilogue

10 Years Later 

“Damn it” Will sighed as he saw a small scratch on the gold ring on his left hand. He blinked as the sun began to set across from him on the porch. 

“Daddy?” 

“Yes honey”

“How did you and Dad meet?” 

“Did you ask Dad?” Will smiled as Casey sat down with him and handed him a lemonade.

“He said to ask you?”

Will looked over through the living room window at Hannibal lying fast asleep on the sofa and smirked.

“Well, that is a long story sweetheart”.


End file.
